Family – Page 52 – My Photo Blog

Is this your minky? – 11 February 2017

Posted on February 11, 2017February 13, 2017 by Zogman

Today we set off after breakfast for Chaguaramas to walk into the Bamboo Cathedral.

I don’t know what I expected, but I wasn’t ready for the sign warning us to

Walk in groups
Don’t display cell phones or jewellery
Stay in well lit areas

I thought we were going for a leisurely walk. I forgot to pack the AK47 and stab proof vest. Bummer. However, once we walked past the entrance gate, I forgot all about that. This was jungle! Well, jungle with a wide tarmac road through it. The trees round us were enormous and there was some bamboo too, but nothing ‘cathedral-like’. Then we turned a corner and there was the bamboo. Not one or two clumps, but hundreds – everywhere. Now I could see the ‘cathedral’ reference. The bamboo arched over our heads from both sides and met in the middle making it look and feel as if we were walking through a green tunnel. We walked the length of the bamboo tunnel and then started climbing the hill at the end. As far as we could see, the bamboo was finished. We turned to go back and Madeleine stopped to ‘rescue’ a piece of vine from the depredations of some weeds. Jaime managed to wrap some banana leaf round it and tie it off with a bit of creeper to keep the roots damp until we got it home and could replant it. It was a rescue vine. We walked back through the Bamboo Cathedral and just before we got to the high trees, Madeleine notices movement in the bushes at the side of the road. I started mentally ticking off the warnings on that sign, then we all saw the monkeys.

Madeleine said they were Capuchin monkeys. I was too busy trying to get a decent shot of them in the low light that filtered through the canopy. Eventually, I gave up, switched on fast continuous shooting and fired off seven or eight shots at a time, gave the camera time to deal with them then fired off another seven or eight. I tried a video, but the Oly 10 isn’t really up to that kind of task, and when I checked later, there was nothing useable on either video. Everyone had a great time looking for new groups who seemed to appear from nowhere, climb high into the branches above our heads and jump the gap across to the other side Adult and babies all made the journey without injury although some were better at jumping than they were at catching the branches on the other side and there were a few almost tumbles. Once they were all over, they started feeding and it was time for us to move on. Great fun for all. All the time we were watching the monkeys, people were passing by, all saying “Good Morning” and none really batting an eyelid at the monkey gymnastics. I’m guessing this is a normal occurrence here.

When we got back to the car, we drove on to Macqueripe Bay where we descended the stairs, under the screaming people on the Zip Wire above us, down to the beach. Lovely little beach with what might have been a harbour at one end and a sort of short promenade above the sand. The water looked lovely and clear and I wished I’d brought swimming stuff. The whole place had a strange 1950s look to it and reminded me of the Lido at Bothwell Bridge near Hamilton. Lots of folk swimming and just enjoying the sun, but then it was Saturday after all. I got photos of some crabs before they dived down their holes. They were well back from the sea and I wondered if they sneaked down the steps onto the beach at night. From the promenade you could look out past an island to just see Venezuela in the distance.

After the short visit to the beach, we walked back up to the car and Madeleine drove us home via the supermarket which seemed to stock a lot of Waitrose goods. Which made me wonder if it’s an offshoot of that business. We saw all the usual supermarket stuff and then some things you don’t get back home, like Chicken’s Feet again. Scamp even took a photo of the aforementioned delicacy to show to the disbelieving ones back home. On that subject, I did spot a cafe on the road advertising Cow Heel Soup. Apparently it’s a local delicacy and the soup is really good. I just hope they wash the cow’s heels well before making the soup, having seen the stuff that cows walk through!

Lunch was stewed chicken with fried plantain and salad, followed by coconut ice cream. Maybe a notch down from the ice cream we got in Karawak, but still better than anything we get at home.

Today’s sketch is of the house across the street with a bit of M&J’s house added in to set the scene. Actually, after I was finished, I preferred the lightness of M&J’s house to the lumpy looking other house. The perspective is much more pronounced with the viewpoint closer to the small house. Worth another go, I think. Maybe tomorrow.

A Jump, Skip and a Hop – 10 February 2017

Posted on February 10, 2017February 11, 2017 by Zogman

Today we said goodbye to Tobago and caught the plane to Trinidad. Madeleine and Scamp weren’t very impressed with the pilot’s driving skills and I have to say it was a bit of a bumpy ride at times. What I did wonder about was the fact that before it landed in Tobago, it hadn’t appeared on Flight 24 on my phone and there was no airline insignia on the fuselage. A pirate of the skies perhaps? Anyway it got us to Piarco airport on Trinidad and from there Madeleine drove us home, stopping on the way to pick up some Roti which are Indian flatbread wraps holding the main course which for three of us was chicken and for Scamp was veg. Possibly my best favourite of these lunch wraps so far.

When we were at the airport on Tobago, Madeleine showed us the bright yellow fruit she’d picked from the hedgerow along with its delicate wee yellow flower. I think it was a Carailie Vine, but I may be misspelling that. I’ll check tomorrow. It tasted good. Just another of the fruits available on these islands. Even better, this one is free as it grows wild in the hedgerows.

Ori was pleased to see us and after being fed, fussed over and having a run round the garden at top speed a couple of times, lay exhausted in the livingroom. Such a relaxed dog.

While Madeleine was watering the garden earlier on, Jaime picked a Guava from one of the trees in the garden and we all had a piece. Beautiful green colour with soft pink flesh inside. They really do have an amazing selection of fruits here. Unfortunately, one he was trying to harvest looks like it’s been invaded by ants. It’s a Sour Sop. It is a big dark green fruit covered in spikes and is supposed to have a sweet white flesh, but I doubt if we will taste it because the ants have been there first.

Today’s sketch is of a wee sea urchin shell that Scamp found yesterday on the beach at Pigeon Point. It’s a bit rough, but at least it’s done and on time. Maybe I’ll find something more interesting to draw tomorrow. It won’t be the little beastie that Madeleine showed me today, asking what I thought it was. I took a photo and it looked for all the world like a caddis fly larva, but it was much, much smaller. I searched on Google for it giving as much info as I could and it turned out to be a Household Casebearer and it turns into a moth after pupating. Nasty looking little thing. Now gone along with it compatriots under a spray of bug killer. Oh, yes, one more thing. Out of the corner of my eye tonight I thought I saw a bright green light flying around the room, turning on and off. Couldn’t quite catch it though, then I did and it was a Firefly! First time I’ve seen one. It looked like a wee moth with an LED on its bum! And with that thought, I’ll say goodnight.

A Grand Day Out – 08 February 2017

Posted on February 8, 2017February 9, 2017 by Zogman

This will be a rushed post. It’s been a long day and we’ve crammed a lot into it, although it might not seem so with this compressed or condensed description.

The day started well and we left the apartment with the intention of visiting Scarborough and then heading to a beach, but that’s not how it turned out. Firstly we made a stop at the Magdalena Grand Hotel to see how the other half live. The hotel, which is quite grand and quite magnificent is surrounded by a golf course which has the usual water hazards. However, the water hazards on most golf courses don’t have warning signs saying ‘This lake contains caimans’. Thankfully we didn’t stop near the water. We did continue on to see the hotel and to walk the grounds as if we were staying there. It’s a technique I must learn some time. We were both impressed with the size and look of the building, but there weren’t very may folk staying there, so we did wonder how profitable it was. While we were there I got my first decent shots of Frigatebirds.

As we were leaving the weather seemed to take a turn for the worse with squally rain appearing. It had been threatening while we were trespassing on the hotel grounds, but now it was doing more than threatening. We carried on to Scarborough, and it did remind me of the English seaside town with the steep hills around it. Madeleine drove us to Fort King George and old stronghold, now open as a museum. Loads of interesting stuff to be seen and most of it was open to the public. That’s where we saw the cockerels and the hens. They seemed to have the run of the place. Jaime bought us some Tamarind Balls which are made from Tamarind paste with added pepper made into balls then covered in sugar. A strange sweet/sour/salty taste. Hard to define. Great place to visit. It was there too we found all these lovely butterflies. Butterflies in January? Who would have thought it? Aha, but this isn’t Scotland.

By the time we were leaving here the rain had started for real. No longer squally, but a proper downpour. After an attempt to outrun it, we gave up and headed with our sandwiches and juice back to the apartment where we had a picnic on the balcony. Not quite what we’d intended, but at least we were dry for a time. Then the rain started again and we took shelter inside. These showers continued all afternoon. I got fed up after a while and went out to walk along the beach. Unfortunately, the beach had disappeared under the heavy breakers of high tide, so I sat down and sketched a concrete seat as a possible subject. It rained again and I had to give up. At that point Jaime appeared wondering where I’d got to. We walked back and he showed me the fruits on one of the trees in the hotel grounds. I must remember to ask him what it was called. Before we got ready to go out to the restaurant Scamp wanted to dip her feet in one of the hot tubs. We sat in it for about half an hour while the rain made little soldiers on the surface of the water around us. What a strange feeling that was. When we finally gave up the hot tub, we went for a swim in the pool. The water was remarkably warm.

After our swim we went back to the room and Scamp went to shower and wash her hair. I grabbed my sketchbook and drew the view from the balcony. It’s not technically perfect, but it’s a better, and more interesting, drawing than the concrete seat. IMO.

Dinner was in Karawak restaurant and it was fabulous. Callaloo soup followed by Tomato, Basil and Olive salad then a main of steak or shrimp with rice, pumpkin and a sort of ratatouille served in a hollowed out half aubergine. Dessert was coconut cream cake with ice cream, sorbet or ice cream. It’s hard not to compare that with what we had on our first night here at the steak and lobster grill and it’s hard to see now how the S&L Grill survives against competition like this. The waitress worked the table with a great sense of humour that you couldn’t help but appreciate. The only fly in the ointment was the owner or manager, it wasn’t clear which, who only seemed to be interested in her regular customers and only gave us a cursory glance. She needs to take a lesson from our waitress. Nobody it that high and mighty that they don’t need to cultivate new custom.

Well, that was meant to be a condensed description of the day. I missed out the Karaoke because it was so bad, it wasn’t even funny, and no we didn’t take part.

Just another Sunday – 05 February 2017

Posted on February 5, 2017February 6, 2017 by Zogman

Scamp went to church with M&J in the morning and I stayed home to clean up the blog and hopefully get some photos, but the rain came on. In fact, the rain came straight down. Ori (the dog) and I looked at one another and the silent message passed between us “I’m not going out in that!” So we waited and eventually the rain abated and became a drizzle, a warm drizzle that dried on you almost immediately. Also, the rain that had fallen had dried up too. Five minutes later the sun came out, but didn’t stay long because more heavy clouds came in. I gave up and sat watching the birds having their early morning bath. We really must get a bird bath for the garden at home.

When the promised rain failed to appear I changed into swimming trunks (they dry quicker than shorts) and went for a walk in the garden. Found an empty shell of a wasp’s nest and marvelled at the construction. Entrance / exit tunnel and all those little identical hexagonal cells, and all made from something as thin as paper. Amazing. I found a shield bug on a leaf looking like it was guarding its eggs. Even saw a little orange dragonfly, but it was far too quick for me. Gardens are wonderful places if you just have time to look.

Scamp returned with M&J bearing Doubles. Doubles are two squares of thin fried dough, wrapping up a paste of chickpeas, onions, pepper and spices. Apparently it used to be considered poor man’s food, but we all agreed it was delicious. By then the sun had come out and it was hot, so it was time to get some serious sketching done. So I put on my sketching hat, some sun cream and some insect repellent and went in search of a suitable subject. I finally settled on some plant pots hiding away at the back of the garden. I had a reasonable rendering of them when Scamp came to tell me it was lunch time. Lunch was a pork chop for the carnivores and salmon for Scamp the pescatarian with cassava root. We’d never had cassava before, but it was really tasty. Scamp described it well, as a nutty potato. We must search it out and try cooking it some time soon. Definitely on our to-do list. With lunch out of the way, I found a new subject. One that could be drawn from the comfort of the veranda. I chose Next Door’s Utility room with its big square plant pots on the roof. Both pots overflowing with roses. It was basically architectural with strong perspective, a happy marriage for me. I even added a wee touch of colour to add a wee bit of brightness. I liked it. Still do.

Remembered to take the photos of the wasp’s nest and got it done along with the flower photos before it got totally dark. Haven’t posted them on Flickr because it went into one of its ‘Bad Panda’ strunts again. Why do these things always happen on weekends? Because Yahoo don’t employ enough people to fix it. They want rid of Flickr which is becoming a money pit for them.

The remainder of the day was spent packing. Off on our travels again tomorrow with a bit of luck.

The not so Common Market – 04 February 2017

Posted on February 4, 2017February 5, 2017 by Zogman

Madeleine found one of the ‘singing frogs’ in the shower this morning and managed to capture it in a jar. It’s a tiny wee thing, no bigger than my thumb nail and that’s it fully grown. After its photo call we let it go back to rejoin its midnight choir.

Just a coffee for breakfast this morning because we were going to the Green Market and Madeleine said we would get something to eat there.

I didn’t realise it was so far away, almost halfway to Yves’ house, or so it seemed. When we got there the market was in full swing and there was lots for these Scottish visitors to gawp at. Dasheen, Yams, Cassava and real live cocoa pods. An amazing variety of fruit and veg that we had only heard about or read about in books sitting on benches right there in front of us. After a quick walk through, we went looking for that breakfast. We all had Empanadas – that’s fried corn bread ‘rolls’ with a variety of fillings. I had beef, Scamp had chicken, Jaime had pork and Madeleine had cheese. While we were sitting there stuffing our faces with these fatty foods, a lady from a local surgery was explaining how high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension are all caused by obesity and too much fatty foods. I don’t think this was the best place to be putting out that message – or maybe it was! I was amazed to find Ortaniques (a cross between and orange and a tangerine) for sale on one of the stalls. I remember getting them in Larkhall away back in the 1960s. I haven’t seen them for years. Three for a pound was a bargain too good to pass up. Another stall was selling juices and they were lovely. Scamp had a mixture of ginger, melon and coconut water. I had passion fruit.

When we were done there, it was back in to town and a visit to another market. This one called the Up Market. It was a sports hall filled with stalls selling lots of different crafts. I bought myself a copper bracelet to ward off rheumatism and Scamp got a pair of maracas to use with Gems!

After that it was time to go home. Nobody really wanted lunch, but there was a good selection of fruit so we had that. You see, maybe that lady’s talk did sink in after all. After the fruit fest, Scamp went out to read in the garden and I staked my claim on a place to sketch Jaime’s hut. Possibly the neatest hut ever. Madeleine says it’s not so neat inside. I’m not sure I believe her. Anyway, this was a pencil sketch for a change. Unfortunately my Staedtler pencil was loaded with 2H lead, not 2B so tone was difficult to achieve. But, like yesterday’s, it’s done.

Tonight J&M took us out to a Chinese restaurant for a meal. The meal was delicious, but the way it was organized with veg being ordered separately from the meat was very strange. Good food and good company. You can’t beat it!

Christmas Day Blues – 25 December 2016

Posted on December 25, 2016December 26, 2016 by Zogman

“And so it is Christmas, and what have you done?” Well, not a lot really. According to my fitness gizmo I took 2475 steps and walked 1.13 miles, was active for just 20 mins while burning 1790 calories. In short we stuffed ourselves silly and because of the horizontal rain and 60mph gusts outside we hardly ventured past the door.

Christmas dinner was Rib Eye Steak for me and Trout for Scamp with a starter of Chicken Forestiere for both of us. Pudding was the killer for me. It was a Winter Fruits Trifle with Plums, Clementines, Amaretti biscuits soaked in sherry, Caramelised Condensed milk with Mascarpone topped off with Whipped Cream. I may, just may have burned 1790 calories, but compared to the two helpings of trifle I had it looked like a paltry excuse for exercise. That was the worst overeating I’ve done in years.

We both enjoyed opening our prezzies, just like a couple of weans, then sat down to a cup of coffee. Afterwards we spoke to Hazy and JIC, Hazy by Skype and JIC by phone and both seemed to be having a great time. But then, they didn’t have two helpings of Winter Fruits Trifle to contend with.

Today’s PoD is a Goldfinch, one of a bunch who now frequent our birdfeeder. They seem to love the little black sunflower seeds and dine almost exclusively on them. We don’t see them in the summer, only in the winter.

Heading for bed earlier than usual to try to sleep off this enormous feast. Hoping for calmer conditions tomorrow and our usual pasta for dinner.

The Day That Never Dawned – 23 December 2016

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Zogman

It just seemed to get darker today. From the time we woke until around 2pm, the clouds seemed to be massing and compacting to the extent that they successfully prevented any light from reaching earth.

When we realised that there was little chance of any decent light and Scamp had been for her physio appointment, we went for lunch to Vecchia Bologna. We had toyed with the idea of booking a table as it was Christmas Eve Eve, ie. the day before the day before Christmas, but when we got to the restaurant there was only one other couple there. Admittedly, we were early, arriving just before 1pm. However, the place soon got busy with a big table arriving halfway through our meal. It was a Christmas Lunch menu and we made good use of it. Scamp had:

Starter Tortino mediterraneo di riso with warm grilled vegetables
Main Fillet of Seabass pan cooked, with fresh chopped tomatoes, garlic and basil
Dessert Traditional Christmas pudding served with Warm brandy sauce.

I had:

Starter Scottish smoked salmon with tiger prawns, mixed crispy salad leaves & home made chilli ginger jam
Main Tagliatelle pasta with a ragú of Italian seasoned pork sausage garden peas & cream
Dessert Traditional Italian Tiramisú.

Delicious.

This was our eat-out Christmas Lunch.

After lunch we stopped off at Waitrose on our way home to stock up on the essentials for Sunday that we hadn’t already bought at Tesco. While we were walking back to the car the sky started to clear and the clouds finally parted to allow some blue sky to shine through all courtesy of Storm Barbara. I got some shots of the trees behind the carpark, but I must say they were uninspiring and as a result the photo is uninspired. I just missed a photo of a grey squirrel running across the toes of my shoes! That would have been a good one to get.

While we drove along the M80 motorway heading due west, we were treated to a beautiful sunset with the sun setting into the clouds just above the horizon. So clean, so clear it reminded me of the sunsets on the cruise in June, and then it was gone. So the sun did rise this morning, it was only the clouds that obscured it. Obscured by Clouds – Pink Floyd. That could have been the theme song for today.

Notice that all the references to the time of year today sarted with a capital ‘C’, not an ‘X’. That’s because there was very little or no commercialism attached.

Storm Barbara scooted over us this morning with a few gusty winds and I could feel the sideswipes on the motorway, but for most of the afternoon it was quite calm. It’s getting windy again tonight as was forecast. Hoping it’s on its way north east now.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Hoping to go in to Glasgow on the bus and enjoy a pizza at Paesano.

Glad to hear that N D’Ag was back home and feeling a lot better. Hope there isn’t any snoring tonight Hazy!

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.

Scraping the car – 18 November 2016

Posted on November 18, 2016November 19, 2016 by Zogman

Yes, it’s that time of year again when you need to scrape the car in the morning. No heated screen or heated seats luxury here JIC!

Scamp was going to the dentist this morning, so I helped her defrost her car while I ran the engine on mine and turned the heater up full speed, full heat and air-con on. Mine was soon defrosting nicely while we scraped away at Scamp’s. That’s where the pic of the frozen leaf came from that. When Scamp left to get her filling done, I headed back in to have porridge for breakfast. First time for ages, and it worked its warm magic again.

With Scamp’s tooth fixed, we all headed off to Loch Leven to have a walk in the cold, fresh air under a clear blue sky. Perfect conditions to test the F707’s infra-red capabilities. Well, the F707 and a furry monkey. The furry monkey which usually sticks to our fridge has magnets in his/her hands and feet. The magnets are fairly strong and are the only ones that have been able to overpower the spring in the solenoid. For that reason, the furry monkey came with us today to Loch Leven. He/she … Let’s fix this ridiculous he/she thing now.

In a book I’m reading (and eking out the pages to make it last) his/her references are solved by making it ‘XYr’. The ‘XY‘ stands for the unknown chromosome balance so ‘XYr’ can be male, female or indeterminate gender. That seems an elegant solution, especially these days with LGBTIQ. Life used to be simpler with just LGBT and it made sense. I think the ‘I’ is for ‘Isnae Sure’. I have no idea what ‘Q’ stands for. It could be ‘Questioning the Magic Donkey’ for all I know. Anyway, thank you Becky Chambers for solving that problem. I hope I got that right Hazy!

Soooo, getting back to the monkey, remember the monkey? XY seemed to enjoy the trip and is now happily back in place in XYr place on the fridge.

The selection at the top came from the 70 odd photos from the day, plus the one from the frozen car. The IR images took a fair bit of post-processing to get the effect I was looking for and although the quality isn’t great, the effect is. I’m not sure if I prefer the false colour version or the monochrome. Mono looks cleaner, but the false colour is more interesting and alien. Further experimentation is required if the furry monkey is up for it.

Lunch was excellent as usual in Loch Leven’s Larder although the shop seems to get posher and more twee every time we go there, which is a pity, but I suppose is inevitable. After that we drove back home via the Forth Road Bridge to get an updated view of the new cable-stay bridge. Dinner was a carry-out from Bombay Dreams.

A good day, most enjoyable. Cold tonight. Temperature just touching zero. Hoping for another sunny day tomorrow.