Category: Garden

Dancin’ – 17 September 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Tea dancin’ and not a spot spilled!

We drove to Glenburn for the tea-dance. For once there were quite a few already there already waiting for it to begin. We had a blether with the usual suspects at their usual table before the dancin’ began.

The usual two waltzes to begin with. First circuit of the day was a ‘getting to know your feet again’ sort of thing. When the second waltz was called, my feet were becoming used to this ‘complicated walking’ as Jamie Gal used to call it.
Next was a Cha-Cha which I managed to body swerve. Then, the first of the sequence dances. To close the first half, was the ‘Rhumbumbumba’. A line dance that the teachers demonstrated before encouraging the class to join in. It had to happen. Stewart and Jane were desperate to show it off and I believe most of the dancers on the floor had already tasted this ‘dance’. The other thing that I noticed was the distinct lack of men taking part! A House of Bamboo finished off the first half, and it was tea time.

The second half of the afternoon was mainly handed over to sequence dances. They are good because most people know them or are learning them and by the second dance of the set they are comfortable dancing them. I think we were on the floor for most of the time.

We left soon after that in an attempt to avoid the homeward bound drivers. Actually it wasn’t bad, especially because we were avoiding the Kingston Bridge with its snarled up traffic by driving along the M8 the M74 and the M73. It’s not the fastest, but at least the traffic moves at a decent pace.

I think it rained all the way home, in fact I think it rained all day today. Scamp cooked a lovely piece of cod with roasted potatoes and long stem broccoli. I really enjoyed it.

PoD was an apple, a James Grieve apple from our small apple tree. I’ve found them to be more ’tart’ that last year’s, but still perfectly edible.

Tomorrow I think we may be going to meet Isabel for a blether.

An afternoon to myself – 16 September 2026

Posted on by Zogman

It’s not often I get an afternoon to myself, but I had one today.

Scamp was off to lunch with the rest of the Witches. Two or three hours of blethering seemed to fit the bill for them. I read for a while, a new book for me, Deception by Alan Parks. So far it’s a good read.

Other than reading and struggling my way through Wordle (I scraped a poor 6 today), I didn’t do much, although I did go for Scamp’s meds and watched the clouds rolling over the Campsies. Every time I thought I’d go out for a walk, the rain would threaten and although I’ve been pretty lucky with the wet stuff, I didn’t want to push my luck too far.

I did have a look at getting a new roller cabin case, because the old one I’m using now, the one I took to Hazy’s, is just about falling apart. I’ve had it for about 12 years now and it really needs replaced. The problem is that I really want to have a look and a feel at the case, because, as Scamp will tell you, I’m not all that careful with these things. I might have a look later in the week.

Today’s PoD went to a couple of wee daisy-like flowers that grow quite happily beside the step in the back garden. One is white and the other is pink. I’ve always called them daisies, but I’m told their proper name is Erigeron. They looked quite happy in their place beside the steps.

Tomorrow we may go dancing if the weather fairies are correct. For once I’m quite looking forward to it.

 

Work, Work, Work – 14 September 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Scamp was determined to get rid of rubbish today.

Two sweeping brushes, two bags worth of assorted rotting wood, one cardboard box, one kettle and a few odds and ends. It all went into the council skips and a few went into the compactor. Once it goes in to any of those, it’s gone for good. I think we were both pleased to see this junk go.

We drove up to the local garden centre for lunch and a chance to look for some cheap plants. For once, Scamp was more interested in getting a new plastic shed for the garden. We did see some possible contenders, but nothing that was exactly what she was looking for. Lunch was the same for both of us. Quiche with Black Pudding. Scamp said her’s was fine, but I wasn’t impressed. Too dry and with big chunks of black pudding. Nah! Not my idea of lunch. Worse still was the fact that Scamp had asked for Peppermint Tea and was given plain ordinary tea. She couldn’t be bothered to change it. I had black water in a cup. Allegedly it was black coffee. Well, at least they got the ‘Black’ part correct, but there was no coffee taste.

I think it must have been change-over time at the garden centre, because there were lots of ‘bargain’ plants that were just reaching the end of their flowering time while the new plants hadn’t arrived yet. We did have a wander through, but for once we didn’t buy.

Back home, Scamp was determined to chop up some flowering plans that needed more space. She was hoping for a few clumps from the polyanthus plants, and that was what she got. She’s a determined lady, and when she sets her mind to something she gets what she started. I was more interested in filling up the pots of seed potatoes. Hopefully they will be big enough to eat by Christmas.

The weather had been threatening all afternoon and by the end of play today the rain came. Probably a good thing, because a good day’s soak will wash the plants in.

PoD was a shot from yesterday. I think it was a Four Spotted Chaser.  Almost black with a bit of yellow on its back.

No plans for tomorrow.

Bad Hair Day – 11 September 2026

Posted on by Zogman

I found this guy, above, yesterday, but kept him just in case I’d need a quick photo.

As it turned out I did need a bit of a fall back and Boris, because that’s his name, fitted the bill perfectly.

I thought we were going to find a cruise or a mixture of cruise and stay, today, but it didn’t work out like that. Scamp delved into quite a few different cruises, but very few had balcony cabins and we both love our balconies. That was a disappointment, but we felt we could probably work round it. Then I messed things up by suggesting we might not be able to get insurance because Scamp was still waiting for a procedure. This was something we hadn’t thought of. In the end we decided it would be better to leave the cruise until next year and have a few mini breaks up to Christmas instead. Not what we’d intended, but maybe a few days in Jersey would be just as good. Also, we’d thought of taking a few days in Newcastle.That would mean we could take our time selecting a cruise that we both really wanted.

In the afternoon we started work in the garden. The Buddleia bush was really needing cut back and Scamp had a box of Pansies that should have been planted weeks ago. So while I chopped the buddleia, Scamp planted out the remaining flowers. The buddleia now looks very sparse, and like Boris, it was having a Bad Hair Day. It still looks a bit rough and ready, but I’m sure it will grow back fairly quickly.

Dinner tonight was yesterday’s chicken made into a semi-salad. Another of Scamp’s suggestions that worked well. A “What have we got in the fridge” meal, that just worked.

It looks like dance class will be a going concern tomorrow. The teachers arrived home from a week’s holiday in Tenerife and there were enough folk ready and willing to be taught. So despite my best efforts, we’re going to Brookfield in the morning.

Boris made PoD. I’d found him hiding in behind the vegetable trolley on Wednesday and I thought he fitted the bill perfectly.

Other than dancing, no plans for tomorrow.

Robin – 10 September 2026

Posted on by Zogman

I was looking out at the back garden this morning when I caught sight of this chubby wee robin. I just had to capture him/her.

I’ve never been able to sex some birds and robins are definitely the worst. From what I’ve read, I’m not the only one who has problems with them, hence the ‘him/her’. Apparently the difference is the shape of their head. Some say female robins have white breasts, but it’s the young birds of both sexes that don’t have red breasts. The same is true for the white wing bars which are present on both genders.

Other than birdwatching, today was spent shopping and trying to agree on possible destinations for a few days in the sun. So far it has been less than successful, but we’ll keep plugging away, trying to find somewhere we can both agree on. Time is ticking!

No real plans for tomorrow, but the weather doesn’t look very accommodating, so it might be a stay at home day.

Flowers in the rain – 1 September 2026

Posted on by Zogman

It was one of those days when it rains almost all day.

Last night Scamp admitted that she’d been having toothache. It was coming from a big molar. She’d had pain from it before, but this time it was more severe and it wasn’t going away. She had taken Ibuprofen and Paracetamol. Both worked to a degree, but when the pain returned this morning she phoned the dentist who very kindly fitted her in to her busy schedule in the afternoon. I drove her over to the the dentist, dropped her off and waited. That’s when the rain started. Some torrential rain and some, just wet and noisy, rattling on the car’s roof. Just over half an hour later she got her wish and the big old molar was gone. She seems ok now. The pain has gone and the swelling has gone too. I hope the fairies leave her a present for being a brave girl.

Afterwards, I was making a late lunch in the afternoon. Scamp didn’t really want anything to eat, but then she decided that she could manage a mashed up banana because it was soft and easily swallowed. That seemed to help settle things too.

The post came late today and the postman brought the details for our visit to Dundee along with his usual collection of junk mail. So now we can see where we are going and who we’re going to see. We still don’t know how long we’re going to be there, but hopefully we’ll have more information once we’ve spoken to the doctor and the surgeon.

Today’s PoD was twin Japanese Anemone flowers taken in a grab shot in one of the dry spells in the garden.

It’s been a busy and exciting day, all things considered. Hopefully things will calm down for a bit now.

The Butterflies Return – 31 August 2026

Posted on by Zogman

It was a blustery and breezy day today, but it didn’t dissuade the butterflies or the bees.

Our Buddleia bush has lost all its flowers this month. Not surprising really, given the number of bees and butterflies that have visited it. I thought they were gone for good, but then this morning, not one, but two butterflies were visiting our smaller white buddleia. One was a Small Tortoiseshell and the other was a Peacock. They stayed for most of the day and the gusty breeze didn’t seem to upset them.

I was just thinking, wouldn’t it be good if our esteemed leaders could behave like the butterflies and just simply get on with things instead of all the posturing and back biting they usually exhibit.

Other than photographing the butterflies, I didn’t do much. I did take a camera for a walk over to the shops, but couldn’t find what I was looking for and came home empty handed.

Scamp used the day to thin out some of the compost we’ve gathered this summer. It will stand us in good stead for winter planting once it dries out, all being well.

I worked in the morning to clear out some of the unmarked photos from August and hopefully tomorrow I’ll dispose of the ones that failed to get a Red or Yellow marker. That should clear out some of the ‘dead wood’.

August is a month I’ll be glad to see the back of. So many mistakes and problems with fitting the subjects and details into the catalogs. I think I need to use a much clearer way of organising the photos.

No real plans for tomorrow, but Scamp may be looking for an appointment at the dentist to have a look at a tooth that’s become painful, just recently.

A rather muggy day – 18 August 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Occasional rain, but always warm – too warm for me.

I went for a walk this afternoon, but despite searching all my usual places, I couldn’t find anything worth photographing. I eventually gave up and walked home in the rain which was at least refreshing!

Earlier in the day we had found a host of caterpillars munching their way through Scamp’s Nasturtiums and I put them all on some leaves across the path. Tonight I realised they would make and excellent subject for a macro photo. That’s how the Very Hungry Caterpillar came to find its way to becoming today’s PoD. It was indeed ‘very hungry’. Just look at the damage it did to a single leaf. One caterpillar did that! Now I know why gardeners dislike them so much. According to Google, this is the caterpillar of a Large White butterfly.

Nothing much else to report on today, although we did drive in to the outskirts of Glasgow for a coffee and a cake just to get us out for a while. Also, I did manage to find a bag of Marshalls Macaroni for you Hazy. You’ll get it the next time we meet.

These epistles seem to be getting shorter and shorter. I must encourage Scamp to drag me somewhere more interesting!

No plans for tomorrow, although we may take the train somewhere just for a change.

MOT day for the Blue Car – 17 August 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Dropped the car off at about 9am at the garage then phoned a taxi that took me home.

Scamp was just on her way out to meet Shona for coffee and a blether. I made a cup of coffee and attempted Wordle and the rest of the puzzles and waited. About an hour later I got the result. A failure because of a fractured front coil spring. Not surprising given the number of potholes and broken drain covers that are scattered around Cumbersheugh. Did I want to go ahead with the repair and service? It was the first failure I’d had with this car in the six years of driving it. I don’t think I had much to complain about. Yes, just go ahead.
I phoned Scamp to tell her the bad news, but she also agreed that we’d done well with over 39,000 miles it had done. I think in retrospect that I got off lightly.

The rest of the day just chugged along. Not really a good day to go for a walk, but instead I photographed a bunch of fading flowers in a vase on the window sill. They were the variety “Lady Emma Hamilton”, one of Scamp’s favourites. The light was beginning to fade and I spent an hour or so adjusting the levels in Lightroom until I had the picture the way I wanted it. I could have worked for a few extra hours, but knew I was just wasting my time. Lady Emma Hamilton made PoD.

About 4pm I got the message from the garage that the car was ready to be collected. Another taxi ride took me bak to the garage. I pushed my card into the reader and collected my keys. We were back in business. I didn’t notice much different in the drive home, but I couldn’t argue with the work done.

Dinner tonight was Pizza and a slice of Scamp’s version of Tiramisu which was very welcome.

Later, Scamp was typing and messages were flying to and fro between others in the family. I was asked for my opinion a few times, but I think I was more engrossed with Angry Birds than was healthy for me, especially if I wanted to keep breathing. One ‘faux pas’ with the Lady Emma Hamilton debacle was bad, but not listening to Scamp would be unforgivable. I listened properly and agreed with what she had planned.

No real plans for tomorrow.

Dancin’ – 14 August 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Today was the first tea dance day in ages, and it showed.

First, though I went to get some fruit in Tesco. That gave me a chance to stretch my legs. A ‘piece’ on banana was my lunch, then it was time to get ready for today’s tea dance.

We started by driving to Glenburn, only to find a Road Closed sign stopping us. Thankfully, after checking our direction on the screen and after working out what direction we should be heading in, we managed to plan the best route through the streets on the edge of Paisley, and it worked. We weren’t the only ones who were caught out by this last minute decision to close the road. There were a few puzzled looks from cars in front of us. In the end, we were only a few minutes late.

My dancing was poor today. I’ll admit it. I just couldn’t put a foot right. It’s a wonder Scamp didn’t disown me, the number of times I was wrong footed. I think the reason was that today was the 13th of August. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

My dancing ability improved a bit later in the day, once I’d had a cup of tea and a blether to Barry & Cath. Also, the dances were a lot easier in the second half. Almost all were sequence dances, with the occasional simple Waltz or Rumba.

Drove home through fairly heavy traffic, but by using the M74/M73 we got there in a decent time.

I was stuck for a PoD until I found a bunch of little purple flowers in the garden with the sun shining through the fenceposts. That won the day.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to have Crawford & Nancy for dinner, so that means we’ve got a lot of work to do.