Category: Flowers

Admiring my handiwork – 19 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Surprisingly, no aches and pains, no pulled muscles either from yesterday’s tentative return to home decorating.

In fact, we drove up to the local B&Q to see if they had the paint we’re intending to use in the front bedroom. They didn’t have it in stock. It wasn’t a great surprise, they never have what you need in this store. Scamp agreed and said that you don’t see crowds of people shopping for anything in this store. It’s usually joiners and builders we see in this B&Q. I’m guessing they get a good trade discount, paid for through the full price the general public have to fork out. I’m amazed it’s still in business.

So, it was in and out again as quick as possible today and then on to Tesco for the weekly shop. No problem with the general public there. Tuesdays are usually busy and the shelves are usually full. We avoid Mondays when the bakery department seem to take the day off en masse.

Back home and after lunch I had a quick discussion with my brother on WhatsApp about where we’d go this week. I put up a good case for Stirling which has architecture and the occasional grand church which he likes and what can be gorgeous view along the carse to the Lomond hills which suits me.

With that settled I went out for a walk in St Mo’s, but I could just have returned home after a five minutes walk because I found today’s PoD not a hundred metres from our front door. Just a wee daisy that had made its home in a crack in the pavement next to an inspection plug for the wireless cable. A shot in the bag is always a great thing.

Wandered round St Mo’s anyway since the photowalk is not just about taking photos, but also about keeping moving, getting some exercise and increasing my daily step count.

When I got home, I was just going through today’s 17 photos when Scamp started cheering. I thought we’d won the lottery before I remembered we had just torn up Saturday’s failed chance to become a millionaire. No, it was the early arrival of Laura & (Big)Ross’s baby girl and John & Marion’s first grandchild. Three weeks early. Good luck to them all.

Dinner tonight was Paella a family favourite that I hadn’t made for months, and it showed. A bit soggy, but apart from that it was fine. It filled a space as we say.

Tomorrow Alex and I are off to terrorise Stirling. Scamp has nothing planned apart from cleaning and ironing.

Just another Sunday – 17 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

A dull day with some rain and some sun. If you hit it right, it was good and if not you got wet. I, for once hit it right.

Scamp was desperate to get stuff cleared out in the garden. She cut down the Hydrangea because there were new shoots starting to appear at ground level and she wanted to encourage the growth. Next on the chopping list was the Penstemon which got a quick haircut because it was getting untidy and needed the crop.

I was more adventurous and went for a walk through the woods down by the main road and found some cherry blossom on the trees. I thought I was going too early, but it turned out I was almost too late as the petals from the flowers were covering the ground. I did get some photos, but I was kicking myself that I hadn’t taken the LensBaby 35 because the distortion it produces works well with blossom. Maybe tomorrow. Startled two deer on my walk too, but they saw me long before I saw them. PoD turned out to be a Larch Pineapple with a raindrop right on top!

Spoke to Jamie later in the day and heard about the progress on the house. It seems to be going well, despite the best efforts of English Heritage. Good to hear that the roof is now on and it’s mainly the internal plastering that need finishing.

No real plans for tomorrow. Well, I have a secret plan and Scamp is out for coffee with Isobel.

 

 

Foxtrotting – 16 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

We drove over to Brookfield hoping for a new start in the ballroom dance class, but were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of an old friend or two.

The dance that was chosen to get us on our feet and started was Mambo Marina. A very old favourite that we learned a long, long while ago. It was buried deep in my memory and the first dance was a bit of a struggle, but after the second track most of the wrinkles were ironed out and it flowed like it should … almost.

Next was the Foxtrot, the old foxtrot we’d learned yonks ago. At first, like the MM it was a bit of a blur, but gradually with help from Scamp the figures fitted together and even the Continuous Hover Cross which was my nemesis in dances gone by was recovered from muscle memory and we went through with hardly a mistake by track three or five!

The Mayfair Quickstep was next. Two tracks to dust off the cobwebs of this well known and oft dance sequence and we were almost two thirds of the way through the class. Jive was next on the agenda and it was a refresher course on figures we’d already dances and which were fairly fresh in our memories as they were similar to some of the jive routines from many years ago.

To finish off, we were invited to dance any Waltz. We started on the Spring Waltz, but fumbled our way through it before we changed to Kirsty’s Waltz Nioli. It’s shorter and simpler and we did manage to finish it and then restart it again.

That was it for the ballroom class. Drove back home feeling that we’d accomplished something today.

After lunch I went for a walk in St Mo’s and just as I left the house, the rain started. I was concentrating on getting some photos of the Larch Pineapples I saw the other day. I found them and although the light was a bit low, so was the wind and that allowed me to get some sharper photos. One of them made PoD.

Dinner came courtesy of Golden Bowl and it was delicious. Lovely and fresh for both of us. Mine being a Special Chow Mein and Scamp’s was her usual Chicken Chop Suey and Fried Rice. Amazingly it was still light and about 5.15 when I went to collect the food.

That was about it for today apart from trying to send some photos to Alex and them bouncing back to me. Similar to my previous Google problem, but not the same. I’ll worry about it tomorrow … or the next day.

No plans for tomorrow apart from worrying about things that cannot be fixed.

Trying to get back to normal – 12 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

It’s the little things you notice after you get home, like the fact that there’s nobody to take away your dirty dishes, and the lack of a table length of fresh fruit for you to pick your way through.

Today was about shopping and coming to terms with single digit temperatures.

We’ve all probably been on a foreign holiday and had to come back to reality. It’s not a pleasant prospect, so I won’t labour it. However, at least you get to sleep in your own bed again.

Today’s PoD was a couple of daffodils in the garden to welcome us home.

Tomorrow we start getting back to ‘normal’ if we can find it.

Dull and cold wind – 8 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Sat for a while out of the sun, but gave up after a while and went into the big round building where yesterday’s Gala Event had been. It was warmer there.

Eventually when the skies cleared a bit and the sun shone, we walked to the ‘Island’. It’s actually a man-made island built on boulders and the last time we were there we had to queue for a table. Today was similar, but we managed to get an inside table out of the wind. I had a burger and Scamp had two of the fattest Sea Bass fillets we’d ever seen. We both had Mojitos.

By the time we were going back, the weather was improving and I went for a walk again in the wilderness. Got a photo of a group of wild goats and also what looks like a locust. I remember seeing locusts in Lanzarote a few years ago and these were very similar.

Came back to the hotel and watched the qualifying for tomorrow’s F1 GP. Didn’t find out who was on pole, because somebody pulled a plug somewhere and we were left with a black screen and muddled sound. No explanation. No apologies. That’s the way it is here.

Entertainment in the evening was two acrobats. The bloke seemed to have trained as a ballet dancer and the girl’s speciality appeared to be the splits. There was a fair bit of faffing about and posing. Entertaining for a while, but I was glad when it was finished.

PoD was a stunning Bird of Paradise flower in the hotel garden. Beautiful colours.

Tomorrow is Saturday and the days are slipping away.

 

Wilderness – 6 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Today I walked in the wilderness. My name for the sandy desert just south of the hotel. Nothing much to see here unless you take the time to look hard.

I saw a Snowy Egret and a further on a Little Egret. I was hoping to see a Shrike because I’d seen one a few years ago in this place, and there it was. Away in the distance, a single Shrike sitting on the top of a thorny bush. I was kicking myself that I hadn’t brought the 210mm long zoom lens. The little 50mm is a great go-to lens, but it’s struggling with distant objects..

When I came back we sat in the sun for a while, just taking in some rays!

After dinner and the now mandatory coffee in the upstairs bar we had our second visit to the kids club. More families had arrived during the day so there were more kids in the club and more parents too. Pepe was just as entertaining as the first night.

There was no other entertainment for us tonight, so we took a G&T and a Rum ’n’ Coke up to the room and enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.

PoD was a bunch of weeds growing at the side of the dusty track through the wilderness. They made me think of yellow jelly beans!

Hoping to go to Puerto del Rosario tomorrow.

First full day in the sun – 5 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Woke around 7am and watched a glorious sunrise

Breakfast was fairly gentle affair. No big rush to get a table.

We walked in to Caleta town to see what changes there had been. Not a lot. Lots of the shops were closed on a Tuesday and a Wednesday, apparently. We’re guessing this is the low season.

Ice cream cones each and a seat in the sun.

Booked a special dinner for Thursday – Tex Mex. We did the other option (Italian) the last time we were here, five years ago.

Just for fun we  went to the kids club to see Pepe. Only a few kids in the club, but the main man was there and that made up for everything. Lots of mums and dads and grannies and grandpas up dancing along with the weans

Entertainment tonight was a rather aloof girl playing an electric cello. The only dancers on the floor were two Russian (?) girls performing what Loudon Wainwright called ” a modern dance”. Very arty, and they looked three sheets to the wind, but after last night, who am I to criticise? By the interval, half the audience had left, and we did too!

PoD was a picture of two bright red flowers in the hotel garden.

No plans for tomorrow.

A day to tidy things up – 3 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

We didn’t do very much today. Didn’t go out although it was dry but cold. Just a day when we had to get things done. Mainly it was packing and unpacking cases and bags and rucksacks. Checking the weight of each of them and rechecking them, knowing all the time that we were well within the limits.

It’s days like this that are the worst. You know you can’t actually go until tomorrow, and there is nothing you can do to make tomorrow come quicker. Time just doesn’t work that way.

Almost time to go to bed, not to sleep, because we know we won’t. Well, maybe we will, but that will be just before the alarm wakes us.

PoD was a photo of the Rhododendrons in the garden.

Tomorrow we fly south.

The first day of Spring – 1 March 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Meteorological spring that is, but it certainly didn’t feel like it. A cold wind put paid to any thoughts of warm spring days.

We drove up to Tesco for messages, but they didn’t have the whisky I was looking for at a price I was willing to pay. I can wait. It will come down to a reasonable price soon.

One high point of the day was our Friday lunch in Brodens. Fish & Chips for two and a glass of Merlot for Scamp and a pint of Guinness for me. All the elements of the lunch were perfect, as usual.

I was tempted not to take a camera out later in the afternoon, but I went anyway. However I might as well have stayed home in the warm house for all the interest there was over in St Mo’s. My PoD was a branch of four catkins bolstering my belief that this is Spring, despite the cold and the wind.

It was good not to have to think about sketches and painting. But there’s a lot more to it than just the drawing. There’s the time it takes to get the sketch scanned, cleaned up and then there’s writing the story that I always like to add. After that I post the sketch to Flickr then Facebook and finally add it to EDiF and/or 28DL. It’s not just about painting pretty pictures. I may do it all again in May, all being well.

I’ve just been told that the dance class is on tomorrow. Don’t know what the ‘menu’ is yet, but it seems we have more than enough couples for a qourum.

 

A dull day – 28 February 2024

Posted on by Zogman

One of those days when it started raining and forgot to stop.

Scamp was out at midday to go to a Witches Lunch in Moira’s house so I was left to my own devices. I decided I’d spend my time gathering together bits and pieces in the back bedroom. I got about halfway down my list and decided to have lunch. I was hoping the rain would take a lunch break too, but that didn’t happen. Like me it was busy and didn’t have time for frivolous things like stopping for an hour or so. It just changed from heavy rain to light rain and then back again.

Almost every day this week I’ve been blog writing almost to midnight. The sensible thing to do today would be to start with the sketch in the early afternoon and that would let me concentrate on the posting and writing earlier in the evening. I struggled to find something that would fit with today’s prompt “Navy”. My first though was a naval ratings hat. I sketched that, but it didn’t really look like it was intended to. I didn’t want a hat that Lord Nelson might wear, then I found an advert for a child’s duck shaped toy made to look like a sailor. That would do fine. I got the sketch done quite quickly, but the painting took ages. It wasn’t possible to use my ’Splashy’ technique. It had to be painted neatly and cleanly. I did manage to finish it and that ticked a box.

That made it coffee time and it looked like the rain had stopped. Of course as soon as I took a camera out it started again. I wasn’t going far, just into the garden. Five minutes of photography and I had enough for today. The subject was a tray of purple crocuses and with the right lens and a wide aperture I could almost blur out the roughcast in the background. Dunked into a couple of processing apps and it looks good.  That was PoD catered for.

Scamp got a lift home which saved me driving over to Moira’s to pick her up. Her day seemed to go well. Dinner tonight for us was a pizza from the freezer.

Still got a bit of work to do in the back bedroom, but I’m hoping to get most of it done by the weekend.

I’m intending going in to Glasgow to meet Alex tomorrow. Scamp may go and visit Isobel.