Category: Flowers

Just tidying up – 3 September 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Or at least, my version of tidying up, which just means doing it on the computer, not in real life.

After we’d worked out the twisted games of Wordle, Spelling Bee and all the other assorted puzzles we play in the morning, Scamp was off to meet the rest of the witches and I was going to Tesco to get the messages. I’d a little list already made up under Scamp’s careful instructions. It was one of those days that looked as if it was just about to rain, but never did. At least, it didn’t do it until later. I’d some computer stuff to get my head round first.

<Technospeak>
Last week I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best when I removed one of my the old iMacs from the safety of the Adobe corral. Adobe allows you to have three Macs open at the same time. However, you can only use two of those three at the same time. The other one can not use Adobe software until you choose to remove one of the other two first. Confused? Yes, so was I, but them’s the rules apparently. I wanted to check to see if it was the old computer I’d removed and it was. That meant that the new iMac and my MacBook were now able to work together. I’ve more or less stopped using the old iMac now. It is getting slower than frozen treacle and crashes if you look at it the wrong way.
</Technospeak>

By the time I’d struggled through all that, Scamp was back from her meeting with the witches and just as I was heading into the garden to take some photos, the rain started. I managed to get four shots before I gave up. Out of those four shots, I kept two. The PoD was a couple of white Cosmos flowers. Not great, but done and posted.

I made dinner tonight which was Cod & Prawns with Fennel & White Wine. It’s an old recipe we’ve used a fair amount, but not for a long time. It still works, though.

I got an email from one of the Flickr managers asking if I was going to run Inktober again this year. I’d already decided that I wasn’t going to do it this year. I’d too many thing to do this October, so had to bow out. I may participate for some of the time, but not for the whole month. Pity.

Tomorrow I’m intending to meet Alex. We may go for a walk around Paisley.

A spot of lunch and a walk in the park – 2 September 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Travelling by bus to Dunfermline today.

We were on the ball for a change today. Caught the bus to the town centre and then picked up another bus that took us to Dunfermline. There were heavy clouds when we left Cumbersheugh, but the further north and east we went, the lighter the sky became.

We walked from the bus station down towards Pittencrieff Park. On the way we were hoping to find some decent trainers for sale, but there wasn’t much to choose from. Scamp thought there were a few styles that might be useful, but not many. I may go back to Go Outdoors this week and have a look there.

The park was a different place to the High Street. Well kept grass and great views over the Forth to Edinburgh. We walked round the gardens and Scamp got a few ideas for plants for next year, all being well. Echinops was the main thing she was interested in. Big blue globe thistles that seem to attract the bees. I can see why she would like a few of them in the garden.

For me the heated greenhouse was the draw. I love walking round the pond, watching the carp and goldfish. The flowers too are just that bit more glamorous and bright than most of our garden flowers. My favourite, and PoD was the Gloriosa Flame Lily. Such a statement plant with its bright reds and yellows.

Lunch was in Wetherspoons. Fish ’n’ Chips for Scamp and Chicken Jalfrezi for me. Scamp had a glass of Barossa Ink and I had a pint of Innis & Gunn for me. A lunch that didn’t cost the earth.

We left Wetherspoons with plenty of time to cross the road and catch the bus back to Cumbersheugh, except, that bus just never came. Half hour wait for the next one and, of course, two of them came at the same time. The traffic was a bit heavy as we neared Cumbersheugh, but we weren’t driving, so we didn’t care. The X3 arrive about five minutes later and it took us home.

We watched the Great British Bake-off, or at least Scamp did. I was too busy posting the PoD on Flickr, and anyway, I couldn’t be bothered with all the giggles from the ‘bakers’. We also watched the Great British Sewing Bee just to finish off the day. It was much better.

That was a great day. Great idea Scamp, giving the wee Blue car a rest for a day!

Tomorrow, Scamp is intending to meet the witches for lunch. I may be sweating over a hot keyboard because I’ve still got a lot to do yet.

The Constant Gardener – 31 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

That’s not me, it’s Scamp!

I’m the one who mixes up the compost and sometimes gets the proportions wrong. I’m the one who makes a mess all over the clean, freshly cut grass. I’m the one who forgets where he put the trowel, spade, fork etc. Mainly, I’m the labourer. I carry the pots from the front garden to the back and sometimes from the back to the front. I don’t mind. Scamp’s the clever one. She remembers the names of all the flowers, but I know which of the beasties will nip you and which won’t! Between us we get the garden growing.

Today we were splitting up the Primula Candelabra into two separate plants, repotting the colour changing ’Switch Ophelia’ we also repotted a few of the newly purchased plants from last week. We dug up the potatoes from the first of the big ‘tattie bags’ and were disappointed by the size and quantity of the potatoes themselves. We’d hoped they would be bigger, but the soil they were growing in was a bit dry and dusty because of the lack of decent rain during July and August. Hopefully now that we’ve had almost a week’s worth of rain, the next crop will be better, providing they haven’t become sodden and rotted.

I went out for a walk in the afternoon over to St Mo’s and across the football pitches, hoping for some decent shots of butterflies, but there were very few on the wing today. There were some Peacocks, but none of the more exotic butterflies I’d seen a few days ago. A little drone fly on a Scabious flower got PoD. On the way back I managed to find a couple of grams of brambles that may go into a dessert some day.

Dinner was Chicken Milanese with potatoes and Scamp’s special veg mixture. Very nice it was too. Pudding was Rhubarb Crumble made with a mix of Jamie’s rhubarb and some of our own.

We spoke to Jamie later and heard about final preparations for their visit north to go to a wedding next week. Sounds like an awfully long way to go for a couple of nights. However, they are intending to meet Andrew. Oh to be a fly on that wall!

Tomorrow Scamp and I may go looking for a bread bin that will fit into a corner of our kitchen.

Out early again – 29 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

I’m getting fed up with having to get up and out, and it looks like the dance teachers are home again and we need to go to class tomorrow morning too. It’s just too much. We older folk need out sleep too.

It was a dry morning as most mornings are just now, but by afternoon the rain clouds came rolling in and the day deteriorated.

What I did do today was drive Scamp to her FitSteps class, then I drove to the health centre to pick up some bits and pieces the doctor had left for me. After that I drove back home, filled the test bottle with smelly pee and took it back to the health centre for the nurses to analyse, the second time I’ve had to do it, recently. Maybe they just like the smell of pee!

Back home, and after I’d washed my hands a few times, just to be sure, I made a cup of coffee and settled down to solve the New York Times puzzle selection. We’ve both paid our dues an paid for the puzzles for a year. It’s not something I thought I’d be doing, paying for the right to solve a puzzle, but it has become quite popular with Scamp and me this year.

Scamp made Chick Pea and Spinach Curry from the Mowgli book and it was almost as good as mine. A few things were different, but the main part of it was really good, just not as good as mine (Hopefully Scamp won’t read that)

Today’s PoD was a bunch of pale pink flowers called ‘Daboecia’ or Irish Heath that are sitting on the back step. Another of my wife’s acquisitions, although I admit I had a hand in the choosing of them. They reminded me of Lily of the Valley. Fourteen photos taken and only one saved. The rest went in the bin, or will do soon, I think.

Another problem with the new iMac was put to bed tonight when I successfully sent half a dozen photos to Alex for him to crit. We don’t tear each other’s photos to pieces in a crit, It’s just a gentle nudge to say “I’m not really jealous … Honest)

Tomorrow, as I’ve said we are intending to go to dance class in the morning. Maybe we will stop off at IKEA on the way home. We need a new bread bin and Ikea is probably one of the cheapest places. Scamp also wants to buy a bed sheet. In a clever bit of marketing, Ikea make nice wide beds, but not to standard sizes which means you have to buy an Ikea sheet to fit your Ikea bed. Clever!

Another mixed up day – 28 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

But a day that got results too.

I was out just after 8am today to take the Blue car for a service at a garage in the other end of town. Delivered it and was told I’d get a call when it was ready to collect. Got a taxi back to the house and settled down to wait. I hadn’t dealt with this garage before, but knew one of the owners and was sure he was genuine, Besides, I knew where he lived!

My phone rang at 10.30am to say the car was fine and the service was complete, I could pick it up any time. Scamp had some business to do in the town, so we took a taxi to the garage, paid for the service, picked up the keys and drove back to the town centre. An hour and a bit later we came out with smiles on our faces, a brochure in our hands and the promise that we would go on holiday this year, DV.

Next stop was Tesco for some food and veg to fill up our depleted stock in the fridge and freezer and a bottle or two of beer and wine. When we came out, the sparkling of the roads was evidence of another rain shower we’d just missed.

Back home, we discussed our options and agreed we’d made the correct choice. While Scamp checked the details, I took a camera over to Condorrat where I bought us two small fish suppers. On the way there I got a few photos of bees on the Scabious flowers. I always feel that scabious gets a raw deal. It sound so like Scabby, and these are pretty blue balls on a stem and not at all scabby! One of the photos got PoD.

Tonight we watched another episode of Masterchef that was less than riveting and that is where we are now.

The new computer is working out well. Most things are behaving as they should and the speed of processing photos in Lightroom is quite astounding. My external hard drive is almost full, so I may need a new one soon to become another storage device for this year’s photos.

Tomorrow we may go out to lunch, if the weather sorts itself out. I’ve a few odds and ends to do at the health centre first, but I can probably get them done in the morning, once Scamp is off to FitSteps.

  • 28 August 2025

Looking for plant pots – 25 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Out looking for plant pots and came home with a chicken.

We slept last night with just a duvet cover on top of us. Too warm for the actual duvet itself, so the cover provided all the warmth we needed. The weather is due to break in the next few days according to the weather fairies, hopefully that will mean that the weather will return to real Scottish weather. Cold and wet.

Scamp was looking for half a dozen plant pots for the back garden, so we drove to Torwood Garden Centre to source some. A lot of the plant pots we have have suffered in the recent weather. The pots being plastic are easily damaged by bright light. It makes them brittle and it won’t be the first time I’ve picked up a pot and had the bottom fall out of it and be left with just the rim in my hands. Like everything, plastic doesn’t last for ever.

We found exactly the pots Scamp wanted almost right away, so I volunteered to get a trolley because I just knew by the look in her eye that more things would be going into that trolley before the day was through, and I was right. A raspberry bush, pansies, wallflowers some black kale plants, a pot of heather and a chicken. All went into the trolley along with lots of other things.

Once we got them all into places in the boot and the back seat of the car, we went for cup of coffee for me and peppermint tea for Scamp. Then we shared a tipsy cake, tipsy in name only I think because this was a No Alcohol tipsy cake. I’m sure tipsy cakes used to have a distinct whiff of alcohol about them, or maybe I was dreaming.

Drove home via a narrow road just outside Haggs. I wanted to get some photos of the Forth & Clyde canal from one of the locks. I got the shot, but the real interest was a red tractor in a field next to the canal being loaded up with hay bales, presumably for silage. The bloke who was driving the tractor, was also carting the bales onto a low loader with a forklift attachment to the tractor. The light was constantly changing and I duly took around twenty shots from different angles and in different lights. That gave me some photos to turn into a PoD. I was really quite taken with them.

Back home and with the pots, flowers and of course the chicken safely unloaded, it was nearly time for Kirsty’s dance class.

Today was part 4, the final part of the rumba routine. This was the most complicated part so far, but by the end of the hour I was beginning to see how it hung together with parts 1 – 3.

Tomorrow I have a phone consultation with a doctor from the health centre to see how I’m getting on with my two lots of iron tablets.

The chicken has been named Crazy Chicken and is 100% ceramic! It lives in the back garden under some bushes.

Moving up – 24 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Today I took a deep breath and moved my catalog on to the new iMac. It caused a bit of an upheaval, but it seemed to work, or most of it worked. Still some things to iron out, but the main work is now done. The old iMac had been taking a fair bit of a pounding and every time I touched one of the SSD cables it seemed to lose another chunk of its memory.

It was a very dull day today until early evening when the skies lightened and the sun actually shone for a while. In the morning Scamp and I took it in turns to lug watering cans of that life-giving fluid round the front and back garden. Since the expected hosepipe ban isn’t in force yet, we decided to be good citizens and carry the water to the plants. They seemed to perk up after a quick drink. We’re hoping it will be enough until the promised rain comes later in the week.

Dinner for Scamp was Cauliflower Steak and for me was a ‘real’ steak. The Cauliflower one tasted good with two flavourings, but mine was tough and chewy. It might have been my cooking or it might have been an old tough bit of beef. It may be the last time I buy one of M&S’s fancy named steaks. I’ll stick to tried and tested sources, like the local butcher’s.

Spoke to Jamie and heard about Vixen’s new swimming pool in a smaller venue from her last one. Then, almost immediately, Simonne replied with a couple of photos. One of Vixen swimming and another of her just standing staring at the camera as if saying “Is that all you pair have to do with your time?”

PoD was a close up of a bunch of Antirrhinums that are having their second flowering of the year. Pretty colours in them. We always called them “Map Maps” when I was wee, for no apparent reason.

I’m going to leave it there because this new ‘puter will need a rest after a couple of weeks of inactivity and probably needs a wee rest now.

The only down side I can see for the new system is that I’ve lost access to older blog posts. Maybe I’ll find them some day in a hidden corner of the blog.

Tomorrow I might speak to a man about giving the Blue car a bit of TLC.

A dull day – 23 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

There wasn’t much sunshine today. Dull white skies, mainly.

We had intended going to Dunfermline, but I was too slow to rise and by the time I got my act together, it was getting to be too late to go.

Scamp used that time to hand water some of the thirsty plants in the garden. There hasn’t actually been an official ban on watering gardens or washing cars, but unless we get significant rainfall in the next week, I can see that being implemented. Even as I was walking over to Condorrat this evening, I noticed some of the plants beside the path were showing signs of needing some water. That’s very unusual in Scotland.

Scamp drove over to Tesco and bought enough food for us to ensure we didn’t starve for the next few days. I asked if I could help when she returned and she told me there was only on thing left in the boot of the car. Unfortunately she didn’t tell me it was a full bag of compost. That’s about the most work I’ve done all week, carrying that bag from the car to the house.

Today’s PoD was a table top photo of a bunch of white sweet peas. The background could do with some improving, but Lightroom made a great job of cleaning up the really gritty image.

Dinner tonight came from Golden Bowl in Condorrat. Chicken Chop Suey with Fried Rice for Scamp. Special Chow Mein for me. Both delicious.

We watched another Masterchef episode with the two clowns trying to look smart. How did that turn out? We also watched Anneka which Alex said was worth watching. I think the jury’s still out on that one.

Best show of the night by far was Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Shades of Clockwork Orange!

No plans for tomorrow, but we may go out somewhere.

Drilling in the Sun – 17 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

The whole thing started out because Scamp wanted a hook to hold one of her sweeping brushes for use in the garden.

I’ve had an old Black & Decker with two NiCd batteries for what must be 20 years now, if not longer. Anyone who has used NiCd batteries will know how quickly they lose their charge. I’d been looking for a better drill for some time. A DeWalt for preference. Today I got one. It feels better balanced than the Black & Decker and hopefully it will last as long as the old B&D, but with better electronics. And yes, Scamp did get her brush hook. Now she’d like “ A few more things done in the house.”
No Comment!

Both of us took the folding chairs out and sat in the front garden with a book and a drink or two until we had cooked enough. Then, when the heat got too much we headed for the back garden where there was more shade.

Dinner tonight was Sea Bass with Potatoes and Sweet Corn. Dessert was a Peach Melba Trifle from Lidl at the new Westway retail park. So much cleaner and cooler than the overcrowded one in St Maurice’s Gate. Badly named, because it doesn’t have any gates!

We spoke to Jamie later and heard about the Birthday Barbecue. Really glad you had a good time, Jamie.

PoD was a photo of “Kelly Anne”. A pretty pink geranium, closely related to Rozanne.

I’ve deliberately not mentioned computing today. I’m having a day off from it. Tomorrow I may dive back in and try to workout where I am.

Also tomorrow, I’ve a dentist’s appointment in the morning. Fillings will be the order of the day. Just in case she need to drill it out a bit first, I have a DeWalt drill she can borrow!

Connections – 15 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Scamp was out at FitSteps in the morning as is usual on a Friday.

After her exertions in the exercise class she went to meet Isabel for coffee. I can’t believe we’ve been calling her “Isobel” for years and nobody told us we were wrong, but as Scamp says, it’s not a thing we really think about. Anyway, apologies to Isabel.

Isabel was joined in the coffee shop by Shona and I was so glad to hear that. Two women blethering would have been bad, but three would just too much. Guys, just think of all that cross-talk going on for an hour or so!

<Technospeak>
While the ladies were blethering over coffee, I was worrying over the new iMac. I keep my Lightroom catalogs on an SSD, and I wanted to try making the catalog more versatile, so that it could be used on two computers at a time. I was worried that if I was swapping catalogs between computers, the data would get corrupted, especially if the two computer were running different OS versions. Eventually I decided to bite the bullet and try it. Surprisingly it worked perfectly. Another problem solved.
</Technospeak>

Eventually the ladies broke up. Isabel was going shopping and Scamp and Shona were heading to Broadwood Farm for lunch. Thankfully Scamp phoned me just as I was finish the test on the SSD catalog and I agreed to meet them at the restaurant. Restaurant is maybe too fancy a word for Broadwood Farm. It used to be pretty poor, but recently after a fair bit of upgrading, it had some better menus and decent food. Also, because I was not driving today, I could have a pint of Tennents!

Scamp had Fish ’n’ Chips and Shona had Mac ’n’ Cheese. I was the odd one out, not having a ’n’ meal. Instead I had a Traditional Carvery, which was a couple of slices of turkey, a Yorkshire Pudding, with a couple of chunks of ham. It was fine for what it was. The cauliflower cheese was a bit lumpy and the stuffing was made from cardboard, I think, but it filled a space.

Shona wanted some drinks to take to Ben and I wanted a box of mini ice lollies. Scamp drove Shona home and I walked back home. It was another warm day again. I’m getting used to this heat now, just as long as it doesn’t go mad and climb up into the mid 30s Centigrade.

PoD was another photo of a Red Admiral on what’s left of the white Buddleia bush. I think that might be the last of those flowers until next year DV.

Tomorrow we’re not going dancing in the morning, but may go to the evening dance.