Category: Driving

A morning in Town – 28 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Just a morning wander around Glasgow while the car got a checkup.

The blue car was booked in at Macklin Motors for a safety check on the seat rails and Scamp and June were going to a funeral celebration of the life of an old choir member. I didn’t know him, so I just dropped her off at Ian’s/June’s house, then I drove in to Glasgow.

I was early getting there, so I dropped off the keys and went for a walk in the town. I had only three places I planned to go and the weather looked good, although the weather fairies were predicting heavy rain later in the morning.

First thing to do that wasn’t on the list, was coffee in Caffè Nero. Note the spelling. I’ve been spelling it wrong for years! Caffè Nero it is from now on, at least until I forget and resort to MY spelling again. Anyway, coffee first, then plan out the rest of the morning.

Anyway, I walked down to the Apple shop to find out how much I’d have to shell out on a new iMac. The answer was that it would take all my savings, tripled to get what I would like. I found a couple of ‘advisers’ who talked to me in a language I understood. Not ‘Topsy & Tim’, but not too technical either. Interesting to look at the back of the model that would probably replace, my present one. No USB-A (the big rectangular plug we all know). Everything was USB-C the tiny little oval plug that goes in either way round). Much smoother and allegedly a much quicker transfer of files. Sorry, Jamie, just a little bit of ‘Technospeak’ there.

I came out knowing a bit more about the new models and gratified when the first ‘assistant’ said that a seven year old iMac wasn’t ‘old’. At five years old it was described as Archived by Apple!

Next stop was Tiso just 100m down Bucky Street. I’m looking for a new waterproof jacket. My old blue Spray Way has so many tears in it, it looks like the patches are there to hold it together, which is probably what they are doing. I did actually find a Berghaus at a reasonable price and joy of joys, it had a zipper inside pocket. It also had a net lining which means the Goretex lining doesn’t stick to you. It’s on the list to be approved by the Boss!

I just stepped out of the shop and the rain came on. I looked at my watch. It was 11:20. The weather fairies were right! Next stop was Cass Art, for a 0.5mm pump action pencil, for light sketching. I also got a putty rubber to clean up my smudges and some charcoal ‘paint’ to make more smudges. Then my phone pinged to send me the video of the visual check on the car and to say that it was ready. Walked back to the dealership, signed the form picked up my keys and drove home. After lunch Scamp phoned to say she was ready to be picked up from Costa Drive-In.

Scamp made dinner tonight and it was a beautiful Prawn & Pea Risotto. Traditionally cooked, not my bake-in-the-oven one. Lots of prawns and peas and lots of fresh lemon juice to season it. Dessert was an Italian Cream Bun I’d picked up on my walk to the dealership.

Every day it seems we’re finding more things we can do with OneDrive. There are strange restrictions too, like being told I’m using Illegal language is data I’m trying to back up. It turned out that there are symbols that can’t be backed up with OneDrive! Perhaps my new Windows Monkey can explain the next time we’re speaking to him!!

PoD was a photo I took in Exchange Square in Glasgow of a bloke passing a poster in a shop window with a message that read: “Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?”. I thought is was comical given the weather.

Today’s prompt asked for A Butterfly. We haven’t had many butterflies visiting the garden this year. It may have been the wet spring we’ve had or the cold, long winter. I had hoped for some Orange Tips or Peacocks, but even they have been in short supply. Hopefully with summer just around the corner, we might get some butterflies fluttering by. We can but hope.

Again, this is a catch-up.  I’ll be glad when  EDiM is over.  The painting/sketch is quite enjoyable. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes, sometimes an hour.  Then the hard work starts.  It has to be scanned, cropped and exported. Then the blurb has to be written and both the artwork and the text have to pasted into Flickr and then Facebook. The whole procedure takes on average an hour to an hour and a half. That’s on top of the normal photo for PoD. That’s why I’m seriously considering making this the last of these sketch challenges.

Maybe some light shopping tomorrow, but nothing else planned.

Dancin’ – 25 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Back to the grind again, driving over to Brookfield for an hour and a half of dancing.

It started with Mayfair Quickstep danced to a new piece of music which didn’t really fit the dance I thought, but what do I know. The next one also the Mayfair was to the traditional tune and it worked fine.

Next up was a Rumba which we’d dance a couple of weeks ago. Most of it came back to me after a couple of tracks, but then Jane added in some pointers to make it look a bit smoother and although I’m not always a fan of her additions, the Ball Flat she taught, where you step on the ball of your foot before you drop on to your heel, did make the dance much smoother and quieter!

The next dance was what’s now called the Four Seasons Waltz. At last we have settled on a name that works in any season of the year! It worked well. We both kind of knew it, but again the emphasis was on teaching us the techniques. In particular it was the ‘Sway’ which is a big part of waltz. I found that quite difficult. I could do the correct steps but not the sway or I could do the sway and forget what the next step was. I think that requires some practise.

We finished with a Bellissima Cha Cha which was less than bellissima from my point of view. It was one we’d learned years ago during lockdown. It was another one that came together after a few runs through.

After that we were set free again to drive back home through some folk’s panic to get to a football match between Glasgow Rangers and Celtic.

Back home, a chicken and potato omelette brought me back to normal after the drive and the dancing. I went out for a walk and wandered around St Mo’s for a while. That’s where today’s PoD came from. It’s some Speedwell flowers. Not as good as the photos Jamie sent of his Bee Orchids growing in the garden.

Today’s prompt was Towel Day (Hitch hiker’s guide to the Galaxy) or a Walnut. I’ve drawn a towel before for the Douglas Adams tribute, but this year I opted for a Walnut instead. I don’t think Douglas would have minded. Complicated things walnuts, the fruit reminded me of a human brain with all its whorls and symmetries.

Scamp is looking through photos on her new laptop that seems to be going well. I might have a wee dram before I go to bed. It’s been a tiring day.

Definitely no plans for tomorrow.

Change of plan – 21 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

We’d planned to go somewhere today on the train, but it looked like the weather was changing and there was just the chance of rain.

Scamp was the one who suggested we should take the train down to Largs on the west coast and from there we could catch the ferry to Millport, a town on the island of Great Cumbrae which is in the Clyde Estuary. However, looking out the window this morning it looked like we wouldn’t see much sun today, so we changed our plans.

Instead, we decided to go out looking for a particular plant trough to replace one Scamp wants to put into summer storage. It has held daffodil bulbs for the last six months. The flowers have now gone over and the plants need to be allowed to rest and rebuild their strength for next year. So we need a new trough to fill their space in the front garden. We drove to Klondyke Garden Centre, expecting to find one there, but they didn’t seem to stock that style. They did, however have hundreds, perhaps thousands of new plants, and we couldn’t leave without buying a few. We had a coffee first and a cake each to give us thinking time in the slowest cafe I’ve ever been in. The cakes were good, though!

Scamp eventually settled on a box of Violas and another of Lobelia, plus I got a pot of Marguerites, what my mum called Big Daisies. Marguerites always remind me of her. We drove home, but stopped at Calder’s Garden Centre, still looking for that trough. They had one that was almost a match, but was really too big to fit in the space. I suggested we try Home Bargains where we’d tried last week and were unsuccessful. Hopefully they would have restocked their shelves and have the troughs. Our luck was in. They had one left. It left with us. Scamp had also bought a pair of sandals in Klondyke and they went into the trough along with the plants which made it much easier to carry them into the house … just as the rain started. The temperature had been dropping when we reached Klondyke, and the clouds were massing, but now it was looking like we’d made the right decision, leaving Millport for another day.

I hadn’t taken a single photo all day, so I grabbed the A7 and took a few of daisies, ordinary daisies in the back garden. One of them made PoD. Just as well, because the rain continued all evening.

Dinner tonight was Pea and Lemon Risotto. An interesting mixture which Scamp made. We both liked it, but commented that there wasn’t enough to make a main meal. We’ll alter the quantities and try again some time because the flavour was good.

Today’s prompt asked for A Bicycle. This is my Kona Dewdrop. It was a great bike in its day, but now, like me it is retired. It doesn’t get out much, mainly because I don’t like riding it on the busy road around where I live and I don’t have a bike carrier for my car. I really should make the effort and take it off-road some day now that the weather is getting warmer. Maybe I will do that this year.

Watched the first Sewing Bee of the year later and both agreed on the person who left.

No plans for tomorrow, but we need to practise the Waltz.

 

Gardening again – 20 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Quite a busy day. Lots done for a change.

Today started with a visit to the doc’s, well to the practice nurse who confirmed what my optician had suspected, that my sugar levels were high. Not enormously high. A reading of 87- 88 is considered safe. My reading of 89 is considered high. One point over the limit and you are caught out! That doesn’t seem fair to me. However she was quite nice about it and gave me three months to put my house in order, with lots of sensible food suggestions. Unfortunately Jam Doughnuts weren’t to be seen anywhere in that list.

Back home and after lunch we drove up to Home Bargains and got two 50L bags of fairly decent compost. Drove home and started filling a tub for the new rhubarb plant, Victoria, with the sodden compost. I think they must have had it soaking in a paddling pool before the put it out for sale. I used Monty Don’s technique for repotting where he puts the plant, in its old pot, into the new pot, fills the compost around the pot, almost burying, it then removes it, takes the plant it out of its original pot and puts it into the cavity he’s created in the new pot, of course, it fits perfectly. Really smart Mr D. Even although the compost had been wet, I gave the plant a good soaking.

While I was doing that, Scamp was pruning some tangled weeds and roses from under the apple tree. She’s determined that she will limit it to two fruits on each branch this year to reduce the strain on this old tree.

It was too good a day to waste, so we sat in the sun for a few hours, reading and drinking lemonade (no additional sugar lemonade.) Dinner was the remains of Saturday’s chicken with pasta and a rich tomato sauce. Dinner was a bit later than normal because we both had good books to read and the sun was lovely and warm.

PoD was taken in the garden and is a Primula Japonica which is a candelabra style Primula with concentric rings of white flowers running up the stem. How many rings? I’ll tell you when it stops producing them.
I just photograph them, Scamp is the one who grows them.

Today’s prompt was for A Cloudy Sky. We have our fair share of cloudy skies in Scotland, but thankfully for the past week it’s all been blue skies and fluffy clouds. However, the weather folk are telling us to be prepared for wet weather and strong winds from Wednesday. If it comes, I’ll console myself with the knowledge that the garden will love the rain.

We do have some plans for tomorrow, but it depends on whether the weather holds.

Off the leash again! – 19 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Scamp was off at midday. Going to see the Strictly Professionals in the Armadillo.

Before she left we had a phone chat with Hazel and heard that things are returning to normal again after Rita’s funeral. I think it has taken more out of then than they had anticipated. I’m sure the mid-term break and the thoughts of the holiday will give them something to look forward to.

I dropped Scamp off at the British Legion, where she joined in with the rest of the FitSteps ladies who were going. No men appeared to be interested. My duty done, I drove out to Westway Retail Park where I was intending to buy some bags of compost … but not today! There were crowds of folk coming and going from the Home Bargains store which was where Scamp told me the best bargains in compost were. I’m sure there were bargains to be had, but there were no spaces in the carpark, and I do mean NONE. If that’s how busy it was outside, what was it going to be like inside. I drove home via Tesco and bought a loaf to take home.

It was a cloudy day. Lots of high white cloud that the sun couldn’t penetrate, so I got the grass cutter out and chopped the grass in the back garden, shifting all the pots as I went to avoid having to use the strimmer. It didn’t take very long to hover mow the grass, but it did take easily twice as long to clean the mower afterwards. By the time I had finished and put the mower back in its place, the sun was starting to cut through the cloud and the place was getting that little bit brighter. I dug out some compost from the raised bed and used it to earth up the two potato bags and the potato pot. That was the extent of today’s gardening.

After a cup of tea the sun was indeed shining and it was warm enough to take out a garden chair and read in the sun. The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges was today’s book. A bit of a scrambled start, but then the real story had started. I don’t know if it’s been part ghost written, but the language seems quite flowery for Mr B, in places. I’ll see how it settles down.

Later in the afternoon I thought I’d go over to St Mo’s to see if there were any damselflies or dragonflies. There were both, but the damselflies were busy making more damselflies while the single dragonfly seemed to flying circuits round the pond. Eventually it rested on a horsetail, quite near to the boardwalk and I managed to get a few (about 30) shots of it. One of which got PoD.

Dinner for me was some of yesterday’s chicken with potatoes, chives and tomatoes and it was almost as good as yesterday’s.

Just before 8pm I got a text from Scamp asking to be picked up from the rooftop restaurant in the town centre. It seemed that the show was a success, although it wasn’t exactly what she’s been expecting.

Spoke to Jamie later and heard about their garden. What was growing and what was not. Simonne is off on her travels again, this time in England.

Today’s prompt asked for a Ball of Wool. This is not an exact spherical ball, more a disjointed cylindrical woollen object with hemispherical ends. So, to my eyes it’s a ball of wool, but I’m sure my daughter will correct me and tell me it’s yarn, not wool. It is what it is, and it was easier than I thought to draw.

We may go looking for compost again tomorrow, hoping to find a quieter time.

The First Damselfly this year – 18 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

We couldn’t decide what to do today, then Scamp suggested we go for a walk in Drumpellier park.

It had been very misty earlier in the morning but that soon burned off to reveal a lovely day. We walked counter-clockwise round the big pond and then walked into the trees. The trees are beautiful at this time of year with their lush green leaves. So much brighter than in the middle of summer when they darken down. We bumped into a wee excited boy with his mum. They had seen a deer and a squirrel. We walked on and chose a random set of paths to follow but too soon we were out of the woods and onto the converter belt of folk who just walk round the tarmac path that edges the pond. Scamp suggested we turn back and walk along a path that runs parallel with the tarmac path, but much deeper in the woods. That’s when we saw a deer. I don’t know if it saw us, but either it was quite used to humans walking through the woods, or it hadn’t seen us. It just crossed our path and walked into the dense woodland, lost to us. I wondered if it was the one the wee boy saw. We didn’t see any squirrels though.

Scamp’s navigation was spot on right. She told us where we would come out of the deep woods and on to a path we’d walked before, but in the other direction. The path took us back to the ponds and there in the ponds I saw the blue flash that could only be a damselfly. Indeed it was. I didn’t manage to get a clear shot of it, but I did catch another, dark yellow one and it became PoD. First damsel this year.

It was really warm today, so we got a couple of cones at an ice cream van then found a seat to sit on and watch the world go by.

We drove in to Coatbridge intending to buy the laptop we’d seen yesterday in Stirling, but unfortunately the only one they had was the display model and Scamp was adamant that she wasn’t taking that! Instead, we crossed the road and got a chicken for roasting for dinner, milk and some veg. Then we drove home for lunch, because all that walking had given us an appetite.

After lunch, Scamp went into the garden to sit in the sun and read. I changed into shorts and boots and walked over to St Mo’s and there I found, not only damselflies, but also a couple of dragonflies. Very early in the season for them. I forgot to mention yesterday that I’d seen the first swallow of the year. They are our late spring or early summer visitors and always brighten my day.

Dinner was great. Chicken was lovely and moist and Scamp’s crushed potatoes were equally good.

I was running a bit late yesterday, but yesterday’s prompt was for a cream cake. I think this one fits the bill. Layers of sponge alternating with layers of butter cream. Then the whole thing studded with strawberries, blueberries and a few brambles from the freezer. I’d eat it, given the chance!

Today’s prompt asked for A Game. The game I chose was Chess. I used to play it a lot, but once you stop playing you loose the rhythm of the game and it takes a long time to remember the patterns and the strategies. I really should go back to it, but it’s difficult to find a chess club where I live. Like so many things, computers have taken over and, while they are great for learning the game, playing against a human opponent is much more satisfying, even if you lose, which I did a lot!

Tomorrow Scamp is hoping to go and see the Strictly show in Glasgow with the rest of the FitSteppers. Hope she enjoys it.

‘puters and sunshine – 17 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Scamp was out in the morning to go to FitSteps.

I stayed home and finished Cast A Cold Eye by Robbie Morrison. Worth reading, if only for the history of the Easter Uprising, the Black and Tans and what lead to the partitioning of Ireland. A good story, well written, part fiction, part factual.

I’d gone down to the shops after Scamp left and came back with fruit and some Sweet William flowers because Scamp wanted flowers for the kitchen. Forgot to get bread, though! However I did remember to take some photos. It was a bit breezy and the bush of Dog Roses I wanted to photograph was bouncing about a fair bit. I did get one good sharp shot and that became PoD.

After a cup of coffee and once Scamp had returned, we discussed what to do with the beautiful day that had opened up. We settled on a visit to Stirling and bit of shopping in Waitrose. Also, as Scamp’s computer was low on storage space again, we might have a look at a replacement.

We drove to Stirling and parked at Waitrose. Impossible at weekends, but easy on a Friday morning. Then we walked in to Stirling itself and had a panini each for lunch, then wandered back to Waitrose after a stop in Waterstones to buy the prequel to Cast A Cold Eye. We ended up with more than we’d intended buying, but that’s often the way.

Next we drove to Currys to look at a new laptop for Scamp. The lady we spoke to was very helpful, but not telling the whole truth about the ‘essentials’ we’d need over and above the laptop. She was also heavily hinting that Scamp should be considering buying virus checkers and space on the cloud for backup storage. It was at that point that I stopped listening to her and started shaking my head at Scamp when I disagreed with her sales pitch. In the end, she spoke more sense than hype, but the hype was still there. I think I’ll have a look at what we can remove from the present laptop, so that Scamp can use it without worrying, but the only solution I can see is to buy a new one.

We drove home in even more sunshine, and spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting in the garden soaking up some rays and admiring he flowers. Dinner was a Charlie Bigham veggie lasagne which is quite superb.

Today’s prompt was A Cream Cake. It was such a lovely day and as I said, we spent the afternoon in the garden with a G ’n’ T each, so I never really got round to sketching it properly. It is half finished and drying in the ’Painting Studio’, ie the back bedroom. I’m intending finishing it tomorrow, all being well.

That was a lovely day. Not a lot done, but listened to a lot of talk, half of which was hot air, as if the air wasn’t hot enough already. We may go somewhere nice tomorrow.

Planting – 16 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

It was a dull morning with one of those depressing white skies.

According to Scamp it was likely to brighten up in the afternoon. I liked her confidence and hoped it wasn’t misplaced. My first task was to split up my five dwarf sunflower seedlings in their tiny wee pot and two gangly mixed sunflowers in their pot, then repot them all into slightly bigger, individual pots. I built up the wooden garden table and got to work. They split easily and all had good root systems. I was about halfway through the seven seedlings when the first spots of rain started falling. I hoped it was just a shower, but as it got heavier, I adjourned to the kitchen and worked on the draining board. I did get them all potted up neatly. Then Scamp took over and was doing the same thing with her Calendula plants. The difference was I had seven plants, but Scamp was thinning out what must have been a hundred wee green plants. By the time we were finished, the rain had stopped. We watered the plants and they went to live in the greenhouse.

The postman brought a surprise letter for me which had my new Travel Card in it. That was pretty good delivery time by the robotic sounding AI voice I was ordering it from last week. I can go on a bus again with a clear conscience.

For lunch we went to Torwood Garden Centre. I had a quiche which tasted ok, but wasn’t, because I could feel it wasn’t happy in my stomach all the way home. It was a dodgy egg mix, I think. We did get some flowers, though. Carnations, leeks, rhubarb and geums to name about half of them. They all fitted nicely into the boot of the car. Drove home and unpacked. Then Scamp started organising them into the places they were going to live, while I went for a walk in St Mo’s. Today’s PoD was a Dogrose that had just flowered today. Two days ago it was wrapped up tight as a bud and today it was soaking up the sun that had appeared while we were in Torwood.

Dinner tonight was a slice of Salmon with Jersey Royal potatoes and a wee salad. I didn’t really want anything because of my dodgy quiche, but I was glad I did, because everything on the plate was lovely.

Today’s prompt was A Sunhat or A Pair of Sunglasses. The sunhat was the easy one. Sunglasses are the most awkward things to sketch. I sketched my Tilley Sunhat. Probably the most comfortable hat I’ve worn. It’s usually quite expensive, but I got it for less than half price after applying two discounts!
It keeps me cool in the summer and, because my hair is thinning on top, prevents me getting sunstroke in foreign climes!. One of the best things about it is it’s ability to be folded into a tiny space and when needed it pops out without a single crease.

PS. I’m not affiliated to Tilley, I just like things like this that simply work!

Tomorrow Scamp is hoping to go to FitSteps after missing out last week. Other than that, we have no plans.

A Flaneur – 15 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Just a wee walk round Glasgow with my brother.

Since Scamp wasn’t in need of the car today, I gladly drove it to the station, parked there and got the train in to Glasgow.

I was early for once and went for a walk along Sausageroll Street and by the time I got back, Alex had arrived. We went for a coffee as is our usual plan of attack and then just wandered down Buchanan Street taking the odd photo here and there. Down into St Enoch’s and through on to the Clyde Walkway. We didn’t see any new graffiti since our last visit and while Alex took some shots of the reflections of the cathedral in the glass sided building next to it, I manage a few shots of the cathedral between two trees … until Alex walked into the frame and stood taking his shots. As it happened I’d got a couple before he walked into the frame. I also liked the lighting on a modern high-rise block of flats, posh looking flats beside the river. I changed them to mono later and that seemed to improve them.

It was a toss up whether we would continue along the side of the river or go and have lunch. I won the toss and we did lunch in Paesano, of course.

After lunch we walked in to George Square and took some photos of folk. Street photography it’s called. I’m not keen on it, really, but Alex is and he’s good at it. Something to do with his brass neck, I think! Thought I’d caught one bloke off guard, but then realised he was smiling, probably having taken a shot of me when I wasn’t looking. Alex was off photographing buses, of all things. Well, I shouldn’t criticise since I’m the one who photographs spiders fighting!
I got a photo of two blokes about my age talking animatedly, both with guitars on their backs. Either they were discussing the merits of nylon strings vs steel strings, or they were commiserating with each other on the poor results of their favourite football teams. That was PoD.

Another coffee and we were heading home. Alex to the bus station and me to the train station. The train was really busy but I got one of the last seats. Then an old lady (ie older than me!) got the one across from me. As she turned, I noticed she’d been ushered into her seat by a younger woman. I offered the younger woman my seat and although she refused at first, I told her I was getting off at the next stop and she thanked me and took the seat. When I was getting off, two seats became vacant and the lady turned and mouthed “Thanks again”. That made my day brighter. A good deed done.

Dancing tonight was the second part of the waltz and it was a bit more difficult than the first half, but with Kirsty’s breaking down of the steps it became easier and Scamp also helped keep me right. Next week we’re hoping to join the two halves together. Another practise tonight may have cemented the second half in my memory. Only time will tell.

Today’s prompt was A Glass of Wine. I couldn’t find a glass of wine, so I sketched one. Just a glass of red wine that had been enjoyed by someone or some people. It’s a pretty glass, or was at one time before being dribbled on, had lipstick marks made on it and had been generally abused. That’s what happens when you mix a clean glass with a good bottle of red wine and a group of people with a drouth (Scots word for a thirst). It was very nice wine!

No plans for tomorrow yet.

Toasting – 12 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Another warm day, but a close, uncomfortable heat, rather than the sunny summer heat we’d had last week.

It wasn’t too hot or uncomfortable to prevent Scamp from doing a bit of plant shifting in the back garden. Between us we have worked out a possible two tier plant stand between the greenhouse and the back fence. Plans are at the pie-in-the-sky stage, but we both have an idea what is needed. The problem is we may not both be thinking about same idea. Only time will tell.

After lunch I suggested we drive to Coatbridge to get a new toaster. The old Tefal single slot toaster has been working at less than 100% efficiency for a long time and we’ve been fighting a losing battle to get it to work. Today we made the decision to buy an new one. Not one of the all singing, all dancing gigantic ones, just a long slot one like the Tefal, but one that would work all the time. What we settled for was a twin long slot toaster. Slightly bigger than the Tefal but not by a lot. It would still fit into the space the old one came out of. It was a sad day to see the old one go, but that’s progress. We drove home and had to put the air-con on for the first time this year.

Before dinner I managed an hour in St Mo’s but that’s not where the PoD came from. I found a nice little bunch of Aquilegia growing beside the fence of a house on my way back home. They made PoD.

Today’s prompt was A Gemstone. Not being much of a gemologist or a jeweller, I asked my old friend, Mr Google and he pointed me at an Aquamarine which I purchased on-line so that I could sketch it for today’s prompt. It was a lot smaller than I’d anticipated, but with the help of a camera and a macro lens I got a big enough image to sketch the gemstone you see here.

You didn’t really believe that story, did you? No, I’m sure you didn’t.

Tomorrow Scamp needs to get her meds from the chemist and I need to give a thimble full of blood to the vampires!