Category: Flowers

A Day with the Kelpies – 10 March 2017

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Scamp wanted to get to Dunelm Mills in Falkirk today to get sheets.  I didn’t, but in the same retail park there was a Hobbycraft shop and that did me nicely for diversion while Scamp was choosing exactly the right set of sheets.

When we left there, she was the one who suggested lunch at the Kelpies in Helix Park.  It was a good choice.  We got a seat near the window where we could gaze out at the Kelpies.  You’ve always got to capitalise their names, because they are celebrities and deserve the honour.  After lunch (Potato Wedges for Scamp and Chilli for me) we went for a walk round these gigantic statues, just to say hello again.  It becomes more and more difficult to find a new angle on these giant horse heads, but I think I managed it again.  I tried to get a reflection of them, but the water, although still, was too murky to produce the effect I was looking for.

On the way home we stopped at Lidl in Kilsyth to get milk and beer.  We left after filling two bags and spending about £14.  We did buy more than our shopping list, but we did get milk and beer.

I have had a sore back for a couple of days, so when we got home, I packed my swimming stuff and went for a relaxing swim and a soak in the steam room.  Wow!  The pool was empty.  Not a single soul in the water, but there were 9 ladies in the jacuzzi happily chattering away while it was on its cleaning cycle.  Now, I’ve looked in the jacuzzi while it’s cleaning and I wouldn’t sit in it.  I don’t know what chemicals surge round its whirlpool, but they are certainly not meant for contact with the skin.  Still, it’s their life, their skin, their health they are damaging and the warnings are there for the few of them who can read.  There were also about twenty other spray-tanned spa damsels spread around the deckchairs.

I Went to go in to the steam room but was warned that someone had had a nosebleed inside and it was being cleaned.  Sitting in the sauna, I watched four folk go in.  About ten minutes later the cleaner went in too and then came out to sluice away a bucket down a drain.  Presumably he had cleaned up the mess while the other four jokers were in there.  H&S?  Not a speciality of Westerwood these days.

Pizza for dinner.  Home made pizza.  Most enjoyable.

A well as the Kelpies, I’ve included a couple of pics from Madeleine and Jaime’s garden in Trinidad.  One of a beautiful red flower and another of a shield bug.

A day in the Toon tomorrow hopefully.  No driving, it’s a bus day.  Yesterday, Saturday looked a good day.  Today it’s not seeming so likely.  It won’t bother us, lunch is booked.

In Training – 7 March 2017

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It was Scamp’s idea.  We had booked lunch at Cafe Tabou in Perth.  How about, she said, How about getting the train instead of driving there?  It sounded like a good idea, a great idea.  I added to it.  Why don’t we get a taxi to the station?  You can never get parked on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.  Mondays and Fridays aren’t too bad.  So it was settled.  A day in Perth without driving and without the drudgery of travelling on the bus.

The journey was really good.  Taxi to the station, train to Stirling, quick connection to Perth.  Brilliant.  Visited my favourite second-hand bookshop and then a quick visit to Waterstones.  One of my favourite Scottish authors, James Oswald was there talking to a readers group.  I don’t do readers groups, neither do I read the ‘Questions to the author’ at the back of a good book.  If the author didn’t explain everything in his book, either he wanted it that way or else he wasn’t such a great writer after all.  Either way, questions aren’t going to provide the answers you want.  Went for coffee in Nero before we went for a walk through the park.  Then more coffee – beans this time in The Bean Shop.  Finally, it was lunch time.  Mine was Venison Stovies, then Saddle of Rabbit stuffed with Pork and Chorizo <Posh Word meaning Sausage> served with Roasted Root Vegetables and Sliced Potatoes washed down with a couple of glasses of Rose D’ Anjou.  Simply delicious.

After lunch I returned to Waterstones and used up my Christmas present from Scamp.  I turned out that James Oswald was promoting his new book so I decided to buy it, along with another two ‘real’ books.  Time to get used to books that don’t self illuminate or automatically remember your page or even provide a dictionary, but ‘real books’ are a great idea.  I think they’ll catch on.

The return journey was equally as good as the one this morning with nicely timed connections.  Even the wait for the taxi was minimal.  A great day out.

Today’s flower photos came from the park at Perth and the bottle pic?  It came from Cafe Nero’s window.  Like I said on my Flickr description, I wondered How?  I also wondered Who?  I finally wondered Why?

Tomorrow?  I think we might be getting in training properly as we return to the gym.

Dunfermline – 1 March 2017

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Scamp suggested that we get up and go for a walk in the park in Dunfermline.  Sounded like a plan except I fell asleep after she got up.  Still, we did manage to get out by just after 11am which isn’t bad going, considering that I wasn’t in bed until way past midnight.

It was a beautiful run over the Kincardine bridge to Fife and on to Dunfermline.  Got parked quite easily, and for free!  Walked through the park and stayed a while in the hothouse in the park.  The heat, humidity, plants and colours reminded us of Trinidad.  Unfortunately, when we went outside it reminded us of Scotland, a Scotland that was just above freezing.  No mosquitos though, so that was a bonus!

Walked up the dreary main street with shops either closed down or advertising their closing down sale – everything must go, including fixtures and fittings.  Not a good sign.  However, the sun was still shining and there were loads of people about.

Lunch was in a Wetherspoons and was cheap and cheerful.  Not exactly cordon bleu, but neither was the price.  Wandered round Waterstones after that and was tempted by a copy of an Anne Blockley book, but at £19 it’s a hefty price for something I would read once and then cast aside perhaps.  It’s £13 on Amazon and that’s a bit more reasonable.  I’ll try to get it in the library first and get a chance for a good look through it before deciding.

Run home wasn’t quite as picturesque as the earlier journey, but was still showing signs that winter is perhaps on the back foot now, despite it only being a week since there was snow on the ground.

Gave the Megane a treat when we got home and took it for a run through the car wash.  I’m sure it drives better after that!  MOT tomorrow.

Jamie G was absent from salsa tonight, leaving Cameron to struggle through with the level 2s.  Worse still, it was Colin who took the advanced class.  Who knew that Slow – Slow – Quick – Quick was salsa timing?  Nobody tonight, that’s for sure.  Next he’ll have us waltzing round the rueda.  So that’s what I drove for 45 minutes through awful traffic for?  If it happens again, I’m going home.

Hope you like the knitted sign Hazy.  Saw it in a craft shop in Dunfermline today.

Goodbye 28 Drawings Later – 28 February 2017

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Scamp was out for lunch today so I took the chance (and the clippers) and gave myself an end-of-February crew cut.  It feels so much better than the mop I had yesterday.  Made quite a good fist of it too, even if I say so myself.  Lunch was the stewed chicken Scamp made on Sunday, then out to get some photos and a final sketch for 28 Drawings later … which wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.  I knew the photos would be easy because the sun was shining.  Ha!  Then things started to go wrong.

I’d chosen the wee house beside Fannyside Loch as my sketching subject, but when I got to the turn-off, Road Closed.  Not to worry, I knew another way round.  After fifteen minutes on a single track road I got the the turning that would take me back to the house.  Road Closed.  Access Only.  Well, that would have been fine, but access was denied too as a road roller was on one side of the road and a lorry with a load of asphalt was on the other.  Not to worry, I’d choose my alternative subject and rather than turn round, I chose to carry on and go through Slamannan.  Slamannan, if you don’t know it is an old 12th century village on the outskirts of Falkirk.  Some of its original inhabitants still live there, I’m sure.  They look at you as you drive past with that “You don’t come fae here.” look.  Both brain cells frantically banging together, but the synapse isn’t firing today, so it’s back to drooling and chewing the cud.  I wasn’t going anywhere fast, so I took the scenic route through Falkirk, mainly because there wasn’t any other road, but the scenery was interesting with great views over the Forth to Fife.  I came back through Bonnybridge and along the canal to my second subject choice of the day, Underwood Lockhouse.  Actually, the burned out remains of Underwood Lockhouse.  It dates from the early 19th century and was originally the two storey lock keepers cottage with adjoining stables.  A few years ago it was turned into a pub and restaurant until it was burned down in 2013.  Despite what people think, it is not a listed building.  It was also blocked off today.  Some moron had decided to drop a portacabin on the entrance to the carpark.  According to the painted sign on the side, the portacabin used to be the changing room for Allandale Boys Club.  I wonder if the boys carried it there themselves.  Anyway, it wasn’t going to stop me, so I parked beside it, just off the road and got my sketch done, uninterrupted.

Got home and the sun was still shining, so headed for St Mo’s to get some photos, but first chose to photograph the first blooming daffodil in the garden.  Found Mr Grey intently stalking some small fish on the far side of the pond and got a few shots of him.  Nearly got a shot of a couple of deer, but they were too wary and ran away.  I reckoned I had enough material to use for today so left them to it.

Sea bream and potatoes for dinner with Mango Mojito Pancakes for pudding.  Obviously designed by someone who had never tasted a Mojito before.  I don’t think we’ll be going there again.

Happy Anniversary – 17 February 2017

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Today we got the bus in to Glasgow.  The X28 no less, the real express bus that doesn’t touch the hovels of Moodiesburn or the ice cream dungeons of Muirhead.  No, it just goes straight down the M80 into Glasgow, after picking us up in Condorrat of course.  We were going to celebrate out 44th anniversary.

After a coffee in Nero watching the tiaras and bouffant hair pieces sauntering past, we walked up Sausage Roll Street because I thought I’d seen a drawing book in the book shop there, but I was mistaken, it was in Waterstones at The Fort.  The girl in Waterstones checked for me.  Meanwhile, Scamp was in M&S getting a bargain – a new swimsuit.

Me disappointed, Scamp delighted, we walked down to Argyle Street to get some more of the bowtie print, bowtie material, some dark grey thread and a pair of dressmaking scissors.  Now don’t get excited Hazy, the ballgown is still a little way off yet.

Lunch was in Sarti’s and it was delicious.  Mine was shin of beef done in Italian beer.  According to the waiter, the secret is to marinade it for 48 hours and slow cook for 2.  Scamp had seabass cooked in orange and honey.  She said it was ok, but the spinach mash and the lentils was the star.

Walked back up to Sausage Roll again to buy Upwords.  It’s a game I’ve been playing on the iPhone.  It’s a bit like Scrabble but different.  There, that explains it totally.  Anyway, I went in to WH Smith to get a magazine to read on the slow bus home and, there was the book I was looking for!  Bought it.  That will save me a trip to The Fort tomorrow.  I bought the magazine too.

Went to get the bus back home, like I said, the slow bus.  That is when we re-met the hair pieces and hair extensions and little tiaras on legs.  Spray tanned legs on little Irish dancers.  Ten year olds, made up to look like midget twenty year olds.  All of them chaperoned by seriously overbearing and totally focused mummies.  Apparently today was the semi-finals of the dancing competition.  I think we’ll be going anywhere but Glasgow tomorrow to avoid these distorted little girls.  Childhoods stolen.

Slow bus home.  Today’s PoD was of a sunflower fixed into a crack in the new pavement being laid in Union Street.  Also, today’s sketch shows that I did learn something from the new book.  Curvilinear Perspective is a strange beast.

Status Quo – 16 February 2017

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Not the group with the repetitive lyrics, but just getting back to normal.

Off to the hospital this morning to find out the results of the biopsy on Scamp’s mole.  As expected, it was indeed malignant, but was caught early enough to prevent a more serious situation.  Still some more work to be done, but the long term view is very good.

To celebrate, we had lunch at the Garrion Bridges antique centre with all the other antiques!  Cheap and Cheerful, that’s why the place was very busy.

Drove home and I went out to get some photos and hopefully a sketch.  I went down the Luggie Water and found some snowdrops and that became my PoD.  There was little else there of interest.  I drove to Tesco and tried to sketch Cumbernauld College, but it looked like a disaster, both the sketch and the building and I gave up on it, so it was later in the night I got the sketch completed.  A bottle of Joker!

Feeling a bit more ‘normal’ whatever that means now.

  • Jet Lag gone.
  • Cases unpacked
  • Stressball burst

Hopefully bussing in to Glasgow tomorrow to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

A Jump, Skip and a Hop – 10 February 2017

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 10 Feb 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.

IMG_3756_3756Today’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 Stay at Home Day – 01 February 2017

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1 Feb

Today we all agreed would be a stay at home day.  A day of relaxation for us all.

After breakfast, Scamp settled down to some serious reading and I wandered round the garden looking for inspiration.  Apart from Ori the dog, I couldn’t find any.  I settled for some flowers later – oh no, not flowers.  Normally that would be my response, but here, flowers are a much more interesting option.

IMG_3671I had decided to take on the challenge of one sketch every day in February and today was the first day.  The subject was Madeleine’s bird feeders and nesting boxes.  It took a little time because the subjects had very few straight lines, but the result works for me.  Micron 0.3 pen on Moleskine sketchbook.

After the sketching session Scamp and I walked down to the supermarket just to check out the goods on sale there and to make sure that they still stocked chickens feet.

Just a nice lazy day in the sun.

Oh what a beautiful morning – 23 January 2017

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Not such a beautiful day.

Went out early on Scamp’s recommendation to get some photos in the remains of the overnight frost and in the watery sunshine.  Glad I did go out when I did, because the temperature rose sufficiently to melt the frost and the clouds rolled in to hide the sun, making it just another milky sky day.

Lost for something to do while Gems were practising, and after processing the photos, I got yesterday’s cloth and started on the beta version of the bowtie.  It took me until the early evening to get it finished, but it’s done now and although it’s not perfect, it is pretty much like what I wanted.  Made a mistake with sewing together the two halves of the first side and had to cut off the mistake should have stitch ripped out the sewing.  The upshot of cutting off the mistake was the tie was about 20/25mm too short.  It’s a strangling bowtie.  However, as I said, it’s the beta version and much better than the alpha version made from an old pillow slip.  This one I can wear (as long as I don’t have to breathe).  Onward and upward as they say.

Scamp didn’t want to risk Salsa class tonight on account of her recently removed stitches, so I stayed home too.  Sort of regretted it later, but it did allow me to finish the sewing.

That’s about it for the day’s adventures.  I think I’ll need to get a dog.  I keep getting strange looks from the dog-walkers over at the pond.  They can’t understand why I’m walking around with a big black bag and no dog.  Maybe they think I’ve got a wee dog, just a tiny wee one and I keep it in my bag.  Maybe they think I’m a dog thief.  Nobody seems to walk there without a dog.  A girl today told me her dog’s “pure scerred” of men (scerred rhymes with heard).  It might have been scared, but it was doing its fair share of growling at me.  It was a mongrel, but there was a decent bit of Ridgeback in its genealogy and I was getting “pure scerred”of it too before it loped off to give a collie a good sniffing.  At least she didn’t ask me if I had my tiny wee dog in my bag.  I was only joking about getting a dog, by the way.  We’ve enough to contend with, with the two fluffy, yappy things on one side of us and the howling wolf look-a-likes on the other side.  Strangely I just realised today that since the howlers started, the yappy things haven’t yapped.  Maybe there’s a hierarchy of vocal communication among dogs.  I must ask the girl with the “pure scerred” Ridgeback cross.

My PoD was the little silver beads which were in reality thawed frost on cowparsley heads.  It’s amazing what the macro lens shows you.

Oh yes, and the other thing I did today was finally put the Christmas decorations in the loft to rest until December.  A bit late, but not nearly the latest its been.

Tomorrow looks like it will be a lot like today.  I’ll be bag packing and clearing up from the bowtie construction, so I doubt if I’ll notice.

An Old Friend Returns – 28 December 2016

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Today we drove in to Glasgow, but not for shopping.  We went down Glasgow Green for a walk.  A walk down The Green is usually a Sunday pursuit, but today was dry and open, so we chose to do our Sunday walk on a Wednesday – just for a change.

There were a few folk out walking off the Xmas excesses.  Some folk had even taken to the water to do some serious rowing.  There were even some like me who were out taking photos.  It was a fine day for it with low sun and some clouds to make the sky that bit more interesting.  A most enjoyable walk, but the best was yet to come.

We always use to complete our walk with a coffee and a roll ’n’ sausage (for me) and a peppermint tea and toast (Scamp) in the Wintergarden of the People’s Palace.  Until, that is, the day when a glass panel fell from the roof of the Wintergarden some time in July.  Since then the Wintergarden has been closed.  Today it was open again and it was quite full of families too.  Even better, they had fresh rolls, fresh bread and fresh sausages.  The coffee was real.  Not like yesterday’s brown water, this was coffee.  Brilliant!

After my Sunday lunch I usually go for a walk round the plants because these are plants you only get to see in a large, enormous glasshouse like this.  Today was no exception.  It looks like the gardens section of Glasgow Council has taken the opportunity to remodel the gardens while it was closed and the difference is quite dramatic.  It take it all back Glasgow Council.  You’ve done a great job here.

We needed some milk when we got back, so rather than drive to Tesco, Scamp decided to walk to the local M&S to get some and I came along for the walk.  On the way back, I carried on with my walk round St Mo’s while Scamp went home.  I managed to get my first decent shots of a couple of deer in a long while.  I could see the animals grazing quite contentedly upwind from me through the cover of some pine trees and I was able to get the camera set, focused and ready before I quietly broke cover and got the first few shots.  Then they sensed something and their heads came up.  I stayed stock still for a few minutes still taking a few more shots before they went back to grazing.  My next step broke a twig and that was all the warning they needed.  They were off, running and jumping.  I hammered off about 10 shots in motor-wind mode before they were lost in the bushes.  That was it for photography today.  Happy, I went home.

Tomorrow is booked solid for Scamp, so I’m free to do as I please.  I may get my hair cut, ‘cos it’s a ‘Pure Afro’ as we say in this house!