Driving – Page 84 – My Photo Blog

Boots – 6 December 2016

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Zogman

When we got home last night Scamp discovered that she’d left her boots in the STUC building. One frantic Facebook message later ensured that the boots had been found and stored ready for pickup today. That was my task for the morning.

The drive in to the STUC in the West End of Glasgow was a delight this morning. Very light traffic and even got parked just outside the building. Boots collected, I made tracks for home because it was a dreary, dull, dreich day – that was a four word alliteration in case you hadn’t noticed.

Firefox has been avoiding loading Flickr recently, ever since version 50.0.2 installed itself automatically. This is the first time I’ve had a problem with Firefox, but I’ve had loads of problems with Flickr, so initially I blamed the website not the browser. However after a bit of research today I discovered the problems with v50.0.2 are widespread and not just with the Mac version, but with PCs too. Not everybody is affected and even my problem is not always repeatable. For instance, today it started off with baulking at loading Flickr around 4pm, but tonight after no changes to the installation, it’s loading fine. It’s not bandwidth, because first thing this morning loading was fine. It’s a conundrum. In the past few days I’ve tried deleting the caches, switching off all the extensions, rebooting the Mac. Nothing seems to give long-term success. What I have done now is switch off ‘auto update’. That way I have a baseline to start from. Maybe Mozilla will fix the problem, but maybe pigs will fly too.

Today’s photo is a start at a still life from tiny wee 00 size (1:75 scale) figures. I know it looks fairly simple, but this took me over an hour to set up and photograph.

Tomorrow I’ve got a meeting timetabled with Fred and Val. The Scottish education system has been highlighted as the worst in Europe and the Scottish Government have tasked us with fixing it. We can probably do that over a cup of coffee and also find time to discuss Celtic’s exit from the European Cup and the new Stones album.

JIC and Sim Homeward Bound – 20 November 2016

Posted on November 20, 2016November 20, 2016 by Zogman

This morning we drove JIC and Sim to the airport for their flight back down south. We stopped in Glasgow on our way back for some shopping and a coffee and then returned to an empty house. It was good to have a busy house for a while, but they had to go back to their own life and Vixen. Oh yes, and back to work too. We really did enjoy the visit and Friday was a brilliant day, one we’ll remember for a while.

Back in the land of computers, I finally got the photos backed up on to the new external drive and the battery rallied for a while on the Mac, but it was a temporary respite before it dropped again to 37%, currently 31%.

Salsa in the Garage tonight was uplifting to say the least and we left feeling a lot better than when we went in.

Tomorrow? Well, tomorrow’s Monday with all that a Monday entails. Busy, busy, busy.

What a grey day – 19 November 2016

Posted on November 19, 2016November 20, 2016 by Zogman

After such a lovely bright, cheerful day yesterday, today dawned dull and uninspiring. After we dropped JIC and Sim off to meet their old friends, we headed into Glasgow. J&S were heading there too, but by train, luckily. When we got on to the M80 the CITRAC lit up with the joyful news that there was congestion after Junction 4. At 1.30 on a Saturday afternoon, congestion on the M80 can only mean football traffic. We never did find out what had caused the holdup because we cut our journey short and left at the Robroyston turnoff just after the queue had started. After a wander around the limited variety of shops and a coffee, we headed back. By this time the football fanatics were all safely ensconced in their seats in the rain watching 22 men chasing a ball while one man, dressed in black, tries to control them. What fun.

When I opened the Macbook Pro this morning it just sat there. As far as I could remember, when I’d closed the lid last night there was about 40% in the tank. Where had it gone, or had it gone and was it just joshing me? When it finally loaded, it proudly displayed 0%. So where had it gone? I looked all round the table where the MBP sits and I couldn’t find any juice lying around. Then I checked Coconut Battery 3, my go-to app for the truth about the battery. First thing to notice that the design capacity bar was red, not good. It read 25.6%. Not good at all. I tried charging it up to 100% and completely discharging it, before charging it up to 100% again and discharging it again. Nope, it sticks resolutely to 25.6% capacity. I’ll overcharge it now and see what it’s like after that. If it doesn’t work, then it’s time to call in the Weemen (Should that be WeeXY now? Naw, it’s Weemen) Repair Team to fit a new battery. That’s why I gave them the opportunity to hone their skill before I need to call them in for the big job.

Meanwhile I’m filling up the new external HDD. It looks like it’ll take more time than I expected, but hopefully it will mean the photos will be more secure for a while longer.

Rough looking weather forecast for our visitors to fly into tomorrow, but it looks like the worst will be past long before they land.

A Full House – 17 November 2016

Posted on November 17, 2016November 18, 2016 by Zogman

Tonight we would have a busier house as JIC and Sim were coming up for a flying visit.

Scamp was out this morning meeting one of her in-laws for coffee and I was charged with clearing up the painting room ready for JIC and Sim. Of course, I didn’t do that, there were more interesting things to do like format one of the borked drives and test copy files to it to make sure it was working properly. It was. I also worked out how to get my Sony F707 camera working in IR mode again, more of which later. Eventually I did get round to clearing up the room at least so that it looked like a room again.

When Scamp came back I drove in to Glasgow to see if Staples had a decent price for the 3TB backup drive I’d picked on the net. They didn’t, but it looked like Argos in Cumbernauld of all places did have it, so it was back in the car then back to Cumbersheugh in the driving rain, only to find that the drive I’d earmarked had been sold. Blast – well, I did actually say a different word which also started with ‘B’ but finished with a ‘D’ and had the letters ‘A,S,T,A,R’ and ‘D’ in the middle. You’ve probably heard it, and maybe even used it before. Not you Scamp, not you. Anyway, I settled for the slightly cheaper 2TB version and payment made, new toy collected, headed back to the car through the rain. That’s when I saw today’s PoD. Cumbersheugh isn’t a pretty town, but it does a really good gloomy. I instantly liked the shot with the little silhouette of an out of focus ‘wee wummin’ (remember ‘wee wummin’ from a couple of weeks ago?) in the middle distance. It looked good in colour, but I guessed it would look even better in mono.

Right, this Sony F707 IR thing needs a bit of explanation. If you look here, you’ll understand what it’s all about, maybe. I’d forgotten all about it and the magnet trick, but today, again in the seridipity of the Internet, I chanced upon a more up to date post about exactly the same thing. That got me started again, sticking an Infra-red filter on the F707. A 720nm filter is virtually black to the naked eye, but allows a narrow band of Infra-red light through and virtually none of the visible spectrum. The Sony just pretended it wasn’t there, except for making everything have a red tint. I think I prefer the results from the crossed pola filters. There’s a bit better range of colour to them. I’m intending to try it out tomorrow with some hoped for sunshine.

Popped in to the airport to pick up the travellers and then back past CITRAC signs warning of ice tomorrow. Ice in Scotland in November? Surely not.

Hoping for sun tomorrow. Always!

A Busy Day – 2 November 2016

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Zogman

Some days there are loads of things to write about and some days, like today, are busy, but nothing all that interesting is happening.

Out this morning to meet Fred and Val for a coffee and a catch up. We were all pressed for time for different reasons and had to rush more than normal. Still a good sharing of minds 😉

From there I drove back home to pick up Scamp and drive to Falkirk. We were running a bit behind time and perhaps that’s why we didn’t notice the ‘Road Closed’ sign. We did notice the barrier across the road a mile or so further on. The only way I was sure we could use was back a couple of miles at the roundabout and that’s where we went. We managed to get to the office just in time. Thankfully this was good news again and to celebrate we went for a coffee in a new cafe just down the lane from Andrew’s office. The decor was good with guitars and mandolins hanging on all the walls, the coffee not so good. Maybe it will improve with age.

Drove back and dropped Scamp off at the house where she had some work to do. Drove up to Argos to get myself a 32Gb SD card to replace the 64Gb one I had bought from 7 Dayshop. It was a good price for 64Gb, but the speed was dire. Nice surprise when I went to pay for the 32Gb as it had 1/3rd off. Glad I went there. Managed to grab a couple of sunset shots at Broadwood Loch on the way home.

Back home had birds to feed because the greedy things have eaten all the peanuts already. Hopefully this lot will last a little longer. It’s an expensive hobby feeding all these feathered friends.

Tomorrow? Who knows.

The Wild West – 28 October 2016

Posted on October 28, 2016October 28, 2016 by Zogman

Today we drove in to Glasgow.

We couldn’t get parked and it was such a great day, we drove out of Glasgow again and headed west along the M8. We just kept heading west until we reached Gourock. Along the way I took a wrong turning and that’s how we reached Largs. (Confused yet? You should be)

Largs is the gateway to Millport across the wild ocean, well, across the Clyde estuary, but that’s not where we parked. We parked in Largs and wandered around this metropolis. It didn’t take long. Largs has a great butchers, a great fishmongers and a couple of good restaurants. Not that we’re foodies or anything! It also is the gateway to Millport, but I’ve covered that. We had lunch at the restaurant we went to last time Bean & Leaf. Neither of us could remember what we had last time, but we agreed that it had been excellent. This time Scamp had a Cajun Chicken Burger. Served with hand cut chips. I had a burger with everything. Everything in this context was a Handmade Scotch meat burger with Barwhey’s cheddar, crispy Ayrshire bacon, fried onion, pickled gherkins & salsa. Served with hand cut chips. Now that’s a mouthful and no mistake. The food took a while to come, but I remember being told on one of the Royal Caribbean ships that it takes 20mins to cook a real burger properly. Tell that to Micky D’s.

After lunch Scamp went to investigate a couple of shops and I started my sketch which was to be Nardini’s Cafe. Nardini’s is one of the places you must go to when you’re in Largs. The other is the ferry to Millport, but I think I mentioned that earlier. We didn’t go to Nardini’s this time, but we have been there a few times. The frontage is pure Art Deco. All rectangular columns with rebates in a colour scheme of black on white. Very stylish and any changes that have been made to it over the years have been in that same Art Deco vein. An icon.
I think I did it justice in the sketch and was quite pleased with it. I’m beginning to like drawing with the Derwent Graphik 0.1mm pen. I’m thinking about buying a 0.05mm pen too – SuperFine.

The rest of the day’s pictures were taken around the front at Largs.

The Ice Cream shop sign was a phone-grab.
The car was a superb Lotus, tweaked with a custom curve in Lightroom, then dunked in Photoshop to block out the numberplate.
The Hotel was another grab shot, this time with the camera. This run-down building was on the front, and looked as if it was ready for the bulldozers. The woman hurrying by was a lucky.
The sailingboat and the windmill was another custom curve in Lightroom.

Then we went to pay for our parking. Put in the ticket and Scamp plopped in two 50p coins and a pound coin, but the pound coin didn’t register. Pressed the cancel button and the card came back, but no refund. Foolishly we put the card in again and loaded some more coins in with the same result. A bloke came along while I was phoning the help number and he tried the same thing, but with the same result. Now there were six people waiting for the engineer to come and sort the problem. Luckily he wasn’t long and solved the problem. It looks like a couple of Scamp’s home made 50p coins had jammed in the machine borking it. She really must be more careful with her quality control. Anyway, problem solved and we were on our way.

We headed north and passed through Gourock (see, we did go there) and crossed the Erskine bridge to avoid the inevitable queues on the M8, into the biggest traffic jam I’ve seen in a long time. Drove at an average of 20mph all the way home. All in all, a lovely day. The weather was simply superb. Not wall to wall sunshine, but lots of sun and some blue sky. There was a great sunset forming behind us as we were heading home, but I knew the traffic would only get worse if we lingered to see it and to be honest, we’d had the best of the day. Only one thing was missing. We didn’t go to Millport. Maybe next time.

Just a Wednesday – 26 October 2016

Posted on October 26, 2016October 26, 2016 by Zogman

Some days are interesting, some days are not. Today was not. We had a few loose end to tie up today and we got them done. Scamp was feeling better, or she said she was feeling better. Photography was covered with a walk in the wind and the rain along the Luggie and I got a fairly decent shot of the wee falls upstream from where I usually go. I had to take the shots in between chasing two dogs who wanted to be in the photo. It’s an ok shot, but nothing spectacular.

We drove in to Glasgow tonight and did manage to catch the last 20 minutes or so of the beginners class, a minor miracle in itself as when we entered the motorway the CITRAC signs were telling us that it would take 51 minutes to reach the airport. On a good day it takes 17 minutes. Apparently Rangers were playing at Ibrox and the road was full of mad Gers fans. After a few ‘long roads for shortcuts’ we did manage to reach the STUC building in just under an hour. That was forty minutes more than our journey back home, an hour and a half later, after half a beginners class and our own Wednesday class. I think they should ban football during the week, or on Salsa days anyway. We weren’t the worst by far. Poor Roy S took 2 and a half hours to get there from Alloa. Having said that, Alloa is on the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Today’s Inktober is a sliced up apple. The knife is an old bone handled one that, I think came from Scamp’s mum. The handle recently broke and rather than throw it out, I glued it with Epoxy resin. Old traditional bone handle repaired with modern adhesive. I like that. We’ve both found that we’re using the old bone handled knives more than their plastic or stainless steel handled modern counterparts. The old knives have a much better feel to them and a lot more character.

Maybe going to Glasgow tomorrow, but we’re driving in. I think the bus journeys with all the sneezers and coughers is what’s given Scamp the cold. I don’t want it, and I want her to get over her dose as well. I might even get some architectural drawing done into the bargain. Who knows? (Question mark or not??)

Clicking the Coconuts again – 23 October 2016

Posted on October 23, 2016October 23, 2016 by Zogman

The day started with a bright sunny morning and we decided to go out somewhere interesting. No wandering around the shops and no long bus journeys. Somewhere I might get some foties and a sketch done and where Scamp could get tea and a scone.

We settled on either Castle Campbell or Doune Castle. Both would fit the specification, I thought. As driver, I chose Doune. We’d been there a few weeks ago and I like the building.

Unfortunately, the weather was deteriorating the nearer we got to Doune and there was a bit of drizzle in the wind when we got to the castle. However, we were there and it looked like we were sharing the drizzle with the whole of the Forth valley, which meant that Castle Campbell would be suffering in the rain too.

While I set up my sketching position in the corner of the courtyard to draw the entrance at the diagonally opposite corner, Scamp went for a walk through the inside of the castle. My first attempt wasn’t all I’d hoped for, so I changed position and started again and that is what you see for today’s Inktober. Perspective is a bit ropey in places and the proportions aren’t totally correct, but it was much better than the first attempt – you’ll have to take my word for it.

By the time I was finished, Scamp had returned from her investigation of the inner rooms of the castle and it was getting a bit cold. That’s when I realised that Doune Castle didn’t have a tea room. Bummer. Not to worry, we settled on a quick trip to Dobbies at Stirling and coffee and a scone there. As it happened, Dobbies was mobbed. All the Sunday Drivers were there, ’Grey Hairs’ one and all. “Do you want a meringue or a scone, oh look at the size of the sausage rolls, is that lemon drizzle cake, make up your mind, it that a jam doughnut … “ All without taking a breath. Every one of them was the same and every one of them was in the queue in front of me. However, I found the scones, loaded my tray. Got the tea and coffee, paid and then found Scamps table while the Living Dead were still choosing which of the cakes they’d have. They’re probably still there.

I’d grabbed a couple of ‘banker’ shots earlier in the morning. Just photos of Stuckies (Starlings to you) squabbling over the peanuts hanging on the rowan tree outside the kitchen window. I also got some shots of the Wallace Monument from Dobbies by poking the lens of my camera through the chainlink fence. The tower had looked beautiful as we were driving down from Doune, but by the time we got the Dobbies, the light on the building had gone and the outlook was far more gloomy, almost sinister. I still took the shot, thinking it would look good in mono.

That was it for the day. More rain on the way home, so perhaps yesterday’s rain had come down the road from Perth after all. Oh well, the morning had been good.

Tomorrow’s Monday. The busy day. My intention is to be better organized and get things done early. We’ll see.

A day of two halves – 22 October 2016

Posted on October 22, 2016October 22, 2016 by Zogman

Left home on a bright sunny morning heading for Perth to get essential supplies of tea and coffee. Scamp was going to a Christmas musical with her aunt. A Christmas musical in October? Really, that’s just a wee bit ridiculous. Yesterday at the Art Galleries I saw my first Christmas tree this year. Too early, people!

Most of the journey to Perth was fine with great visibility but about ten minutes out of the city the mist came down. After that the heavens opened up to dump gallons of rain on me. Well, it felt like it was all just on me, but I suppose others were getting wet too. It stayed like that for the two hours I stayed in the Fair City. I’d had enough. I had my coffee beans, my tea leaves and a piece of cheese as a bonus. Home was calling. When I drove back down the road, at exactly the same place where the rain had started, the rain almost stopped. The rest of the drive was in the dry and when I got home, I got out of the car into sunshine. I presume the gardens in Perth need the rain.

A roll ’n’ sausage improved my state of mind as it always does. Went for a walk to St Mo’s with the Nikon to get some photos. There wasn’t much to see, but lots of little fungi and those big ones too. The flowers in the wildflower garden are a joy to behold. Thankfully the gardeners haven’t cut them down with their usual unthinking efficiency. At least, not yet.

Dinner tonight, once Scamp arrived back was courtesy of Golden Bowl. Chicken Chop Suey and Fried Rice times two. Delicious as usual.

I couldn’t settle on a subject for tonight’s Inktober drawing and then I found it, sitting right in front of me. What better subject on a Saturday night than a bottle of beer? Difficult because of the symmetry of the bottle and also because glass is difficult to render in pen, I find. I did use a bit of brushwork to even out the glaze, but other than that it was just pen work. Quite happy with it.

Tomorrow? Who knows. Possibly a walk if the rain stays away in Perth and doesn’t travel down south, but other than that I’m open to suggestions. Hoping to get some sketching done outside.

Write and Post the same day – 20 October 2016

Posted on October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 by Zogman

That is today’s target.

Yesterday, or to be more exact, early this morning I was still writing the blog just before 1am. That’s what happens when you try to cram in 1 hour’s driving 2 hours of Salsa, a pen sketch, photo processing, posting to the now despicable Flickr and blog writing into six hours. It just doesn’t work. I must try to clean up my workflow on Mondays and Wednesdays. Thursdays? They’re not so bad. Still bad, just not so bad as Mon and Wed.

Today we went to the leisure centre in the early afternoon. Me to gym and swim, Scamp to swim. It was very pleasant. Gym wasn’t busy and neither was the pool. That’s because we are in the middle of half-term week, so loads of families are off grabbing some last minute foreign sun. I’m not complaining, just explaining. After a late lunch I went to find some photos and if possible find something to sketch. “Nights are fair drawing in now” as Billy Connolly said and it’s true. The sun is setting sooner these evenings, so although it provided me with some lovely sunset shots, it also cancelled out any opportunity for sketching in the wild.

Earlier in my driving around I spotted some strange looking clouds. I thought it was the end of the world, such strange shapes. It turned out to be Cumulonimbus incus. Google it. It’s a classic anvil shaped thundercloud. Luckily they sidled off westward before they could drop their thunderbolts and the inevitable rain. The sunset really was lovely. I don’t usually shoot sunsets because you get suckered in by the colour contrasts and just shoot wildly, but this time I planned the shot with the old tree and fencepost in the middle distance to hold the viewer’s eye while allowing them to appreciate the colours in the sunset.

I was stuck for an Inktober shot tonight and it defaulted to my glasses on the coffee table. That meant I couldn’t wear them and that’s my excuse for poor proportions. That coffee table is almost forty years old, an antique. It was my second year project at college and it’s still standing.

Well, that’s it. I’m hoping to get to bed the same day I woke up. It may happen.