Category: Food

Wet, wet, wet – 17 December 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Not the group, just the weather forecast. It rained all the day I think. What a change from yesterday.

In the morning, Hazy phoned to ask if we were free for a chat, and we were. It gave us a chance to pause in our attempts to put parcels into a box that was never made for them. We seemed to be getting nowhere, and a wee blether with Hazy helped clear our heads. We heard about Neil changing has church, I don’t think he’d been happy with the other one for a long time. It must be strange to be a parishioner for a change. I hope he enjoys his time in the new church. Hazy has given me a couple of new books to have a look at. I’ll have a look at them this week, H. Scamp and Hazy discussed the online meeting she is booked for in the new year with the group in Dundee.
In general, it was a very good catch-up today.

We went back to our parcel packing refreshed, and I volunteered to drive up to Tesco to get a sensibly sized sealable plastic bag that would hold the parcels, but one that wouldn’t need miles and miles of Sellotape to secure it. Tesco didn’t have any, but thankfully Home Bargains came to the rescue with an A4 sized bag. The Goldilocks solution: Not too big. Not too small. Just Right! Drove home through more torrential rain. While I was in Tesco I managed to dive into Boots and explain that I was running low on eye drops and was told they will be in with my January meds. That was all I wanted to know.

Then after lunch I walked over to St Mo’s through the quagmire the builders have made of what was a fairly tidy path over to Condorrat. Now the green grass is a brown/grey slippery mudhole. They are supposed to be putting up new lighting standards to replace the old ones. With the amount of slurry that’s been dug up, scraped up and spread everywhere, it will be a miracle if the lights don’t fuse the first time they’re switched on. Got the parcel sorted and posted and was heading home when the rain came on again, heavier this time, if that was possible. Now I have three jackets drip drying in the boiler cupboard. At least they should dry quite quickly there.

Scamp was putting marzipan on the Christmas cakes, plural, in the afternoon, because we will hopefully start on the first one on Christmas Day, but keep the other one, because Scamp says they will keep for some time. Not if I get my hands on them first!!

Dinner was a variation on Tuna Pasta. Again it came from ’Home at 7 Dinner at 8’. Some strange combinations in that book. I’d never have thought of cooking the pasta with Balsamic Vinegar and definitely not with added sugar! But it worked. I wonder what we’ll make next.

PoD was another Christmas tradition. This time it was ‘Fairy Nuff’ the slightly aloof bear that sits on the front of the tree. As you can see, she takes her position very seriously.

If you’re reading this Jamie, hope and Simonne are enjoying the weather!!

Tomorrow we’re hoping to go to the last Tea Dance of the year in Glenburn, just outside Paisley. I hope it’s a lot dryer than it was today.

 

A surprise meeting – 16 December 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Instead of getting the bus today, I chose to take the car because I’d a few errands to run.

It was a cold morning with temperature around 5ºc for most of the day. Fog on the drive in to Glasgow and because everyone was shopping, the roads were a bit busier than normal. Also, the first available parking spaces I could find were up on level 7 in Buchanan Galleries. That meant I was going to be late for my meeting with Alex.

I met him in the bus station as usual and was only about ten minutes late. As usual we went for a coffee and caught up with all the gossip before heading down Buchanan Street. The fog wasn’t lifting much but the sun did a bit of back lighting that brightened the day.

We walked through St Enoch’s square, looking for anything interesting to photograph, but found little. Our next stop was the Clyde Walkway where we got a few shots of a guy up a ladder doing a bit of stylish graffiti. I found a lovely bit of light under the footbridge that made the most of the sunlight and the shadows. I may post it tomorrow if I can’t get anything more interesting. Lovely little spiderwebs jewelled with tiny raindrops which probably came from the fog. By then, I think Alex’s stomach was rumbling because he propose lunch and I agreed.

We were walking along Argyle Street, heading for Paesano when we were stopped by traffic crossing our corner when a man asked me if I was Donald and when I told him I was I realised he was Charles. We have been commenting on each other’s photos for over ten years but had never met until now. We shook hands and compared styles of photos and cameras. He had recognised me from my avatar on Flickr. We were heading in roughly the same direction, so we walked and talked, but he was heading in a different direction from us so we said our goodbyes and he headed on along Argyle Street while Alex and I went round into Paesano. A chance meeting!

After lunch, we walked back to the Clyde Walkway looking for some more good light, but the sky was clearing and the fog was lifting, so we put the cameras away. Alex was looking for a book in Waterstones and we found it, then we went back up Buchanan Street again, before Alex decided he wanted a photo of the Christmas decorations in Frasers store. We take these photos every year and rarely do they entice me to keep them in the big cull at the end of the year, but we still take them!

Another coffee in Nero and I gave Alex a run home. I’d a couple of parcels for him and the book I’d just read. Dropped him off at his house and drove him to find there was one parking slot available in our street. Brilliant.

Scamp and Shona seemed to have a lunch date and Shona seems to be well. Scamp might invite her over for lunch some day soon, if she’s not too busy.

PoD was a photo of a lady on the down ramp at Queen Street Station, waiting for a train or a lift home, I don’t know which.

Wrapping up a parcel tomorrow, but that’s about all we have planned.

A late start – 14 December 2025

Posted on by Zogman

After yesterday’s late home, a late start today wasn’t all that unusual.

We watched a recording of Laura Kuenssberg ripping another politician apart. These politicos don’t ever tell you anything, they just recite the same party line day after day, week after week and year after year. Occasionally someone will accidentally let slip something worthwhile, but even then you wonder if it IS accidental or if it’s just another teaser.

Afternoon was spent writing up yesterday’s blog, and with it posted, we could turn our thoughts to tonight’s dinner. It ended up being Rosie’s Vegan Curry from Sophie Wright’s recipe book, “Home at 7 Dinner at 8”. It’s been a go-to book with us for ages. Probably out of print now, but still worth searching out, second hand.
We needed a few things from the listings in the book, so I took the Sony A7c for a walk down to the shops, via the long path through the trees. There wasn’t much decent light, but I did get a photo of two little daisies flowering beside the path. With a bit of jiggery pokery, that became the PoD. By the time I got back to the house at about 3pm it felt like we’d skipped evening and gone straight to midnight.

The one hour slot promised by Ms Wright wasn’t quite accurate, or maybe because it was my first time cooking this one pot wonder I was being too careful. However, it was approved by Scamp and although there was a little bit more chilli than we’d expected, it was accepted, mainly because I’d made flat breads to go with it, I suspect.

We watched yesterday’s and today’s Strictly and Scamp correctly guessed the loser tonight.

Later we spoke to Jamie and heard about Simonne’s possible new job opportunity and the simplicity of packing a suitcase for a few days in a warm place. Not a holiday, but a task that needed completed sooner rather than later.

I’m hoping to get this posted earlier than normal. Hoping for an earlier rise tomorrow.

Hunting Beasties – 12 December 2025

Posted on by Zogman

We went as far as the shops today. Only a 15minute walk. Better than nothing.

We were looking for batteries for a couple of garden lights. Plenty of the wrong type of batteries, but none of the ones we wanted. I suppose we could have driven up to the town centre, but to be honest, neither of us could be bothered. I may go in to Glasgow today or tomorrow on a battery hunt, but it depends on the weather.

Actually, today was quite a clear day. Plenty of blue skies and light clouds, but cold. I went out later to see if there was anything worth photographing. I don’t know why I went for a walk in the woods, clambering over fallen trees everywhere. Halfway through my walk I found an old friend. It’s an Orange Sixteen Spot Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata) to give it its posh Sunday name. Just about the length of the nail on my ring finger and tucked into a crevice in a tree. Apparently they don’t feed on aphids like most ladybirds, but on mildew on trees like oak, sycamore and ash. It’s amazing what you find out when you go walking through the woods. That was my PoD.

While I was out, I bumped into a man walking his dog. I’ve spoken to him in passing many times, just saying ‘Hello’, or a comment on the weather. Today he stopped and said he was intrigued by me walking round St Mo’s pond with a camera. I told him about my plan to take a photo every day and just laughed. He is a bit older than me, but strangely enough, he and his family had moved into Cumbersheugh not long before we did. Like us, he complained about the way the estate has gone down hill these days. I think I’ve bumped into him most weeks for about ten years and this is the first time we’ve said more than ‘Hello’ to each other. It’s good to talk, sometimes.

Scamp and I did go over to the shops which were crowded with loads of folk, all doing their best to get stuff, any stuff from the shelves, because the shops wouldn’t be open on Christmas Day! What will we do if the shops are shut? We’ll all starve!! We did get some cheap tinned anchovies in Lidl, though, so the walk was not in vain.

Scamp’s now got Jamie’s wee tree draped in coloured lights. In the afternoon they look quite good, but at night the shine really brightly. A few other bits and pieces are adorning the inside of the house too. It is beginning to look like Christmas.

No great plans for tomorrow. The Dyson has been put on the back burner for now, so we’ll see what the sales bring, if anything worthwhile. We may go to the last evening dance of the year later tomorrow.

Out in the country – 11 December 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Today we drove out to The Smiddy near Blair Drummond. Expensive, but good food.

It was a surprise trip for Isobel, just to get her out of the house after a week of dull, cold, windy days. We all need a wee break now and again. It was a fairly easy drive, out towards Stirling, turn left and just keep going until you reach the smiddy. For any non-Scots, a Smiddy is a blacksmith’s workshop. There is no smiddy there anymore, but the restaurant has a rustic feel to it.

Isobel had soup, Scamp had Mac ’n’ Cheese and I had a Minute Steak Baguette. All of it seemed to go down well and nobody complained. Before I could stop her, Isobel was up at the till paying for the lunch. It was supposed to be a treat for HER, not for us! Anyway, the ladies went for a wander round the shop, I bought myself four fat sausages and went for a walk to get some landscape shots. Except, when I took the camera out of the bag, the card door was open and my face fell. There was no SD card in the camera and I didn’t have one in my bag or in the car. Oh well, I’d just have to find another wonderful shot somewhere else.

After we drove back and dropped Isobel at her house, I went for a walk in our garden and found a Christmas Rose flowering brightly under the Buddleia bush. That was one in the bag. On the way back we had stopped off at M&S in Cumbersheugh to get some things for later. One of them was a packet of Gingerbread Mug Hangers. They looked so good I couldn’t resist doing a tabletop shot of one of them. His name is Duncan, because he’s really good for Dunkin’ in your tea or coffee! He became PoD.

We watched another episode of Portrait Artist and although I couldn’t say the best artist won, I would say it was really well done.

I went up in the loft, later in the afternoon and with help from Scamp we managed to bring down the Christmas Tree, three boxes of decorations, two bags of different decorations and the Snowman table cover. Scamp did almost all of the tree decorations as usual while Joni Mitchell sang the entire ‘Blue’ album without a mistake. The Snowman table cover has been allowed to warm up and unroll and is now on the table. Numerous battery powered lights have been checked and new batteries fitted, although we’ll need more over the weekend. Of course the Fairy is in her place at the top of the tree and Fairy Nuff is in her place on the tree. The letter has been read and all seems to be well in the world.

We have no definite plans for tomorrow, but we’re looking for a new Dyson Cordless Vacuum and prices seem to be quite good at the moment.

The Gas Man Cometh – 10 December 2025

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We’d booked a service on our boiler and the engineer was coming today, maybe early.

As it happened, he wasn’t that early, arriving about 10am. The service only took about 40 minutes. He’d noticed Scamp’s Essential Tremor and told us that one of the people whose boiler he works on has a special vibrating watch that temporarily numbs the effects of the tremor. It’s got a chargeable battery, but no face, presumably to make it look like a normal digital watch that defaults to a black screen. We might look into it. Good of him to suggest it.

When he’d gone, we had a sandwich and a coffee and then I had some shopping to do. I drove to The Fort and felt the car still get a buffeting when I was out on the open road, all courtesy of Storm Bram that was still roaming around.

I couldn’t believe just how busy The Fort was. Loads and loads of people buying ‘things’, anything that they could get their hands on. I wanted to go to Hobbycraft to get some fabric to make a new bowtie for the evening dance at Brookfield on Saturday. The selection was poor, much poorer than I’ve seen it before. Also, the queues for tacky Xmas things extended half way down the shop, so I gave it up and went looking for a book in Waterstones, with no luck there either. I finally came home with some odds and ends from M&S. I may go looking again on Friday, all being well.

While I was galavanting in Glasgow, Scamp was putting up more new curtains, this time in the bedroom. She’d also washed the inside of the windows too, the rain battering on the outside of the windows kind of put her off washing the outsides.

When I got home she started making a curry and it both smelled good and tasted good. Hotter than we expected with plenty of flavour.

We watched the final episode of Shetland. Everything was explained down to the finest detail. Now we just have to wait and hope for a new story in the series, all things being equal.

Today’s PoD was a view along the avenue of The Fort with its sparkly lights.

Tomorrow we may take Isobel out for lunch at the Smiddy near Blair Drummond if the weather holds, and we may even bring her back with us if she behaves herself!

Another sleepy wakening – 7 December 2025

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After yesterday’s late rising, I had hoped today would have been better, but it wasn’t.

I really need to go to bed earlier. Granted, yesterday was busy and the day before, but I really need to get to bed the same day I wake up, starting today.

Today wasn’t nearly as busy as yesterday. Neither of us went very far. Scamp made her usual trio of small Christmas cakes and baked them, filling the room with that lovely scent you only get from baked fruit, spices, alcohol and dough. Scamp has it carefully measured, both the dough and the baking time/temperature.

While she was baking I was out walking with the A7iii and did find a couple of decent shots of desiccated plant stems and seeds. I almost got a shot of a cormorant in the pond, but didn’t quite catch it before is swam away. I’m always amazed at the distance these birds can swim underwater. St Mo’s pond is quit murky looking and it’s a wonder they can see where they are going.

Dinner was minestrone soup followed by Giovani Rana ravioli. After that it was time to watch the final f1 race of the year with a trio of drivers vying for first place. I won’t say who won, but it was a strange race with a lot to tactics in play.

We watched another episode of Strictly and we were both surprised at the pair who left the competition. Now it’s all down to four.

Spoke to Jamie and heard about all the plans that are now coming together for the month ahead.

We’re hoping to go in to Glasgow tomorrow if the weather is conducive.

Slept in – 6 December 2025

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Well, we both sort of slept in this morning, but managed the day quite well after that.

Saturday mornings can be a bit of a problem. We have to be up early, have breakfast, and be out to face the drive to the dance class in one synchronised movement, or so it seems. Today the synchro was broken and we were still yawning, but fed, when we headed west on the M8. Thankfully we weren’t the last to arrive.

I wasn’t looking forward to today’s class. I just knew it was going to be filled with more Samba nonsense … but it wasn’t! Instead it was a mixture of dance styles we’d seen before or danced before, but had forgotten. I can’t quite remember the format, but there was a form of Argentine Tango that Scamp said she’d seen, a Christmas Pudding dance, performed to “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas”, a couple of sequence dances that we danced without breaking the sequence and, of course, a waltz or two. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning’s education and exercise, and was doubly delighted by the missing Samba!

We drove home on the M8/M73 route to avoid the Kingston Bridge. When we got home I went out almost right away to get some photos for the blog, only to find that Flickr had crashed and wasn’t showing any record of my existence. Try as I might with a lot of huffing and puffing I couldn’t get it to recognise me. Then I checked with ‘Downdetector.co.uk’ and discovered that the Flickr website was indeed down. The next move was to read a few lines of instructions suggesting I should delete the a couple of caches and that was the answer. Flickr knew me again. I think it must have had a heavy night the night before and was just recovering. Anyway, Scamp phoned for a taxi, because we were going to an early Christmas dinner.

A week or so ago, one of the guys in the Monday dance class had suggested we book a table in Dullatur golf club and have a late lunch there as it might be the last class this year.

It turned out to be a great afternoon. Scamp and I had Arancini as a starter then she had Fish ’n’ Chips and I had Lasagna. She didn’t like the arancini and didn’t eat much of hers. Mine was ok, but only just ok. A couple of drinks and a chance to catch up with a lot of folk we either dance with or have recently danced with. We got a lift home with Kirsty.

Today’s PoD is a reflection of some rushes in the flooded pond.

Tomorrow we are hoping to relax!

Time for a haircut – 5 December 2025

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I was meeting Alex for a photowalk at Kelvingrove Art Galleries today.

Scamp was kind enough to give me a lift to the station where I bought my ticket and walked straight on to the train. Very convenient.

In Glasgow I walked round to The Nile Barber. The best one in the town. I usually get my hair cut in Cumbersheugh, but the barbers I’ve been going to for a while will be closing soon and they are a bit “Hash Bash” which means they don’t spend any more time than they need to and it shows.

Hair cut to my specifications (4 on top 3 back and side) and glad I’d brought my woolly hat and Buff, I was off to meet Alex. We’d already agreed that we’d go to Kelvingrove for a walk round the exhibits and a spot of lunch, but first we had a coffee in Nero and caught up with each other’s lives.

Walked round to the bus stance in Buchanan Street and got the 77 bus to Kelvingrove. Lots of scaffolding protecting the building today. It seems that lots of money is being pumped into Glasgow recently. I don’t know where it’s all coming from, but the roads are being relined, George Square is closed for at least two years and now it’s the Art Galleries turn. Someone somewhere has been fiddling the books I think.

Inside it was much the same as ever, The iconic Spitfire still hangs from the rafters with its fur of dust. The animal exhibits also have a covering one half the lights were off in the hall. We need lots of lights at this time of year and with this dreich weather. Well, you can’t have all these improvements to Glasgow and Lights Too they’ll shout!

I wandered into the queue to see the Christ of St John of the Cross painting by Dali. It really is an amazing piece of work. I’m glad it has returned safely from its travels round the world.

Lunch for us pair was in the wee narrow restaurant beside the main building. We both went for sandwiches and as usual they were very good. Another walk round our favourite places in the gallery and then we headed for home. Got the bus to Sauchiehall Street and stopped in at Waterstones for a coffee before we went home. By then the light was disappearing fast and I guess we both knew there would be no more photos taken today.

We walked back down into the city centre and then went our separate ways. Both of us taking the bus, but on opposite sides of the bus station.

A plate of Minestrone soup was waiting for me when I got home and it was good.

PoD turned out to be a sculpture of a dog made from old wellington boots!

Scamp and I are hoping to go to dance class tomorrow and maybe a late lunch too.

Beautiful blue sky but cold – 2 December 2025

Posted on by Zogman

When we had breakfast, made by Scamp, the sun was streaming in the front window. The back window wasn’t quite so interesting. Big heavy clouds away to the north. Thankfully they stayed there before disappearing over the hills, leaving the sun for us.

I sent Hazy a Happy Birthday message and it wasn’t long before she replied with her usual “Hello! Are you free?” Then we sang the “Happy Birthday To You” song which probably embarrassed her and had a wee chat catching up with what was going on down south. Glad she enjoyed the prezzies we sent her.

Later, I was browsing through what was on offer in the Apple App Store and found an App I was sure I’d bought, but which wasn’t on any of my devices. It looked interesting and wasn’t expensive, so I bought it. It’s called ‘Keysmith’ and seems to work with another app I use every day called ‘Keyboard Maestro’. Hopefully the two won’t clash with each other. I’m not going to explain what it does yet, but looks interesting.

Scamp was meeting Shona today to be a ‘listening ear’ when she (Shona) went to see the Dr Banerjee to find out about her recent blood test results. He’s been there for ages a really nice man who takes his time to explain things. Both Scamp and Shona seemed happy with what he said. He never “makes a drama out of a crisis” to quote an old advert.

While the ladies were out, I was making steak and kidney from kidneys out of the freezer and defrosted with a pack of much, much older steak chunks from Waitrose, hopefully only last year’s and no older! The steak was tough (chugh in Scotland) despite being in the slow cooker for ages. The kidneys were excellent. Scamp said put everything back in the slow cooker again cook them until you’re going to bed. I wasn’t convinved, but did as I was told. After another four hours in the slow cooker they were perfect. That’s tomorrow’s dinner sorted!

When we got back after dropping Shona off at Paul’s house we watched another episode of Highland Cops a surprisingly interesting fly on the wall documentary based in the north of Scotland … obviously! Worth watching.

Other than that we didn’t do all that much today. The bloke from Virgin Media is due tomorrow evening so, hopefully we’ll have the ‘Big Telly’ back in business, although Scamp’s laptop has kept us going for the best part of a week.

PoD was a shot looking along the boardwalk as the sun set behind the trees at 2.24pm. Daylight doesn’t last long in Scotland in winter.

Scamp’s booked for getting her hair cut tomorrow and I may get my own locks shorn this week too, if I can find the time.