There’s not a lot you can say about going home.
It’s good to be going home to your own bed in your own house, but it’s sad to be leaving family behind. Even if plans have been made for another reunion in the near future. We just trundled our cases along to the station and caught a train, then another train and another train and another train, then a taxi. And we were home.
PoD is the iconic shot of the roof of Kings Cross station.
SoD you will see tomorrow.
It was raining all day. Almost. So I stayed in my room.
That’s a bit of an exaggeration. It actually stopped raining for about 30 mins around 4pm. The rest of the time the weather was demonstrating its ability to produce a variety of different rain types, from straight down ’stair rods’ rain to that misty smirr that floats around in the breeze, mists up your glasses and beads on everything. Rain. We must have a hundred or more names for it, some of them preceded by a swear word.
I decided that if we were having a visitor at the end of the month, today would be a perfect day to take down some of my ‘art’ work. That took about an hour to do, find somewhere to put it and occasionally throw something out, although I believe only two items met that fate. The room looks totally different now and not too many little pin holes in the wall. I had visions of having to go round with a little tub of Polyfilla (other hole filling products are available) and a spatula filling in all the nail holes. Then I’d need to sand them all flat and finally have to paint the whole room. It doesn’t look as if that will be the case, thankfully. Of course, before I started, I photographed all four walls, not only just for the record, but also so after the visitor has gone, I can replace them all in their original positions , with the exceptions of the two rejects.
I grabbed five shots of flowers in the garden during the short gap in today’s rainfall. The best in my opinion was the bud on Alec’s Red, and that became PoD
The other day my iMac was running slowly and I resorted, for the first time with this computer, to doing a ‘repair’ start. I still didn’t find out what caused the problem, but I think I’ve caught it. Tonight in Salsa, I couldn’t remember anything, and this was in the easy intermediate class. Second class, which is more advanced, was easier thank goodness. I don’t know what went wrong in that first class. Maybe I need to hold down the CMD key down when I wake up tomorrow to do a ‘repair’ wake! Three new moves tonight: Sombrero Twist 2, Vice which is like a strangling Setenta Vice-Versa and, surprisingly, New One!
Tomorrow looks drier than today, so I may release some nematodes on the unsuspecting slugs in the compost bin, the raised bed and anywhere else that needs them.
Hope you’re feeling better than me on your birthday.
Still not quite back to normal. Can’t hear properly yet. Still feeling the sickness, but down below is an improving situation.
Went for a walk down the Luggie to see what had changed. What had changed was there was nobody to bring me lunch and I had to walk all he way along the path without a tender or even a shuttle bus to help me out. Is this normal life? I want to go back on the ship.
Got some beastie photos. Took 36 kept 8 that’s about a 1:4 ratio which is normal. PoD was a hover fly feeding.
Back to auld claes and purrich as my dad would say.
Tomorrow we may go out and have some lunch. Better remember to take my cruise card.
The day started well, and then it stalled at B&Q.
It was a lovely morning. Really too lovely to lie in bed, but that’s what we both did. That’s what happens when you’re stuck in a good book. You waste the best part of the day.
However we did eventually get going and of course Scamp was out sorting the garden again. Planning new layouts of plants, new colour schemes and sometimes, just new schemes. However, she did get a chance to use our new garden table as a potting table. So much more sensible than crouching down filling pots with compost. Better for the back. Then she was off to get her hair cut while I messed around on the computer looking at stuff, electric shavers and such.
After lunch she was stuck in the house because it was raining, really raining. I went off to The Fort to buy the electric shaver of my dreams. Not quite as posh as some people with their Series 9s with their cleaning modules. Mine would be a Series 5, but a big step up from the old blunt Series 4 I’ve had for about fifteen years, we think.
On the way back I spotted some beautiful light beginning to build, so I stopped and photographed it of course. Not on the motorway, but down a wee side road on the outskirts of Cumbersheugh. I didn’t have time to change lenses, because the light itself was changing rapidly, so instead I took three shots and intended to combine them into a panorama in ON1. I think it worked very well. I’m very impressed with that application. Oh yes, and while I was there I saw the first swallow this year. This is week 19.
Back home is where the bother started. The plug that came with the shaver didn’t fit our old shaver adaptor. No problem I managed to slide the contacts in until the shaver started charging. After dinner (Simple Fish Stew from yesterday) Scamp was going to the choir concert with Isobel and I’d volunteered to drive. After dropping her off, I went to B&Q to get an adaptor. Saw one for £1.50. Yes, that sounded right. No it wasn’t. Checkout girl said it was £2.65. Nope, I said, ticket says £1.50. Her supervisor said £2.65. Long story short. I went and checked, photographed said box of adaptors and the price ticket, but it made no difference. The supervisor wouldn’t believe the photo. The price was £2.65. The arrogance of that woman really got to me. Her mantra must be ‘The Customer Is Always Wrong’. I left without the adaptor. Have you ever tried writing a complaint to B&Q? There is nowhere on their website where such a thing is possible, believe me, I spent half an hour scrutinising the website, but they must be so perfect, nobody ever complains. Either that or they’ve hauled up the drawbridge, lowered the portcullis and are all running around with their fingers in their ears, saying “NOPE, NO COMPLAINTS HERE”. I did eventually get my complaint written and sent to somewhere in the system. We’ll see what happens next.
Today’s topic is A Door. My answer is the Bin Shed Door. It used to house the bins, but now we have four different types and different sizes of bins, there’s no room for all of them in the shed. Now it’s crammed full of gardening stuff, that’s why it’s firmly closed and the snib is down! Not perfect, but I like the pot of Honeybells on the doorstep. That makes up for the rest of the painting.
Tomorrow we’re going to the funeral of Crawford’s brother. After that, the day will start.
Bags packed, ready for the off.
After an uncomfortable nightwith a swollen finger and a pain in the side after yesterday’s gymnastics, it was time for the last breakfast.
Since we didn’t need to leave the room until midday, we went for a walk along the front to soak up a last couple of hours of sunshine. Sat on the same seat as yesterday with the same toy mouse, still unclaimed and gazed at the same sea. Finally had to drag ourselves away. Said goodbye to the wee toy mouse and told it we were sure someone would come back to claim it, then turned to face the journey home.
One final check of the bags before heading for reception. Sat and read for a while before we booked the taxi which arrived about two minutes later and we were off to the airport.
Whizzed through check-in and security and settled down to wait. Called to the gate earlier than we’d expected and were off home to a cold Glasgow, then drove home.
There’s not a lot more you can say about the long day at the end of a holiday, certainly not anything interesting. It wasn’t the best holiday ever, and definitely not the best hotel we’d stayed in, but it was a week in the sun and it doesn’t matter what the hotel is like or the food is like, the sun’s the same for everyone, and the sun is free.
PoD was the queue at a gate in Fuerteventura airport.
Tomorrow reality will kick in!
Set off around 9.30 for the long drive back home. It wasn’t looking like it would be a pleasant drive and it lived up to that estimate. Driving down through Skye was ok with the snow keeping mostly to the mountains and higher hills. I managed to grab a shot of the Old Man of Storr just emerging from a blizzard. That became the PoD.
Carried on down to the biscuit tin also know as Eilean Donan castle at Dornie and stopped there for a coffee and a scone each. Suitably refreshed and after I’d had a quick look at some of the paintings for sale in the shop, we got on our way again. The weather worsened quite a bit and when we passed Loch Cluanie it was down to minimal visibility and the snow was beginning to lie on the road. I expected worse would be to come when we made the turn off to climb up to the Glen Garry viewpoint because the road is very exposed. I needn’t have worried because the snow clouds didn’t break and we had a fairly easy run over to Invergarry. From there it was on and off sleet and rain all the way down to Fort Billy where we stopped for lunch.
Refuelled at Fort Billy (oh how I wish the Juke had a proper petrol tank) and set off for Glencoe. Glencoe itself was fine, but when we got up onto Rannoch Moor the snow started again in earnest and we joined a conga line of cars battling down the road. The snow and sleet stayed with us all way down to Crianlarich and eventually faded out, leaving us free to drive down to Stirling and the welcome wide lanes of the M9. We had had a blue van following us all the way from Fort Billy. He/she seemed in no hurry to pass us and we kept a steady pace all the way. Just before they turned off the M9 heading for Embra they flashed their headlights and I gave them a wave. Hope they got home safe.
The rest of the journey was thankfully boring and pedestrian compared with the highlands. Enjoyed the time with Jac & Murdo, but it was good to be home.
Tomorrow? Gems and Salsa that’s about it.
I took the chance to slip the leash today, for a little while.
Scamp had the second gig of the year at Stepps and, as she didn’t need a roadie so I set off early to visit a new camera shop in Glasgow. The satnav lady knew where it was and got me there without a problem. They didn’t have the tripod I was looking for, but I didn’t really think they would have. It’s rather a niche model and I’ve read conflicting reports about it. I just wanted to have a look at it first hand before I parted with a hundred smackeroonies. The bloke in the shop couldn’t have been less interested:
“Do you have a Benbo Trekker tripod?”
”No. You have to order them from the website.”
“It’s just that I’d rather see it to make sure it will do what I want before I commit myself to buying it.”
”Yeah.”
Obviously not going for salesman of the month then?
Drove back in the general direction of Home using the satnav again. Because of the one-way system return was not the reverse of going, in this case, but the satnav lady knew this too. Once I was on the M8 heading roughly east I switched the satnav lady off and let her go back to sleep. Drove past Home and onward to Stirling where I turned off and took the back road up and over the Tak Ma Doon road, stopping near Loch Coulter to grab some shots to make a panorama later and also a grab shot of the straight road that looks as if it goes all the way to the Ochil Hills. The panorama became PoD. From there it was a lovely run in the springlike sunshine all the way home. Piece ’n’ flat sausage for my lunch and then after I’d dumped the images on the computer, I started today’s apple picture. It looks reasonable and hopefully you’ll be able to check my progress (or regress) soon on the website when I post the first seven. It’s an enjoyable task the painting and drawing of the apples, or at least it has been so far. May even branch out into ink or acrylic later. For just now it’s basically pencil and watercolour.
When Scamp came home I made a delicious tuna pasta. I say ‘delicious’, because we both agreed it was. Don’t know what I did differently this time, but I think it may have been some posh tomato concentrate. Must look for more of it the next time we’re buying Tesco.
Energetic beginners class in STUC and an advanced class where I couldn’t put a foot right. Every move a disaster. Even worse, I knew most of the moves. Just couldn’t get the moves into my head right. I think I just need to think less and go with the flow some times. Must practise Agamemnon this week to get rid of the rough edges. Still lots of laughs.
Tomorrow we have a free day. I think we may be going plant hunting again, although the weather looks rough. We’ll wait and see.
Some days are good and some are simply bad. Today was the latter.
The tree in the garden that was trimmed yesterday doesn’t look at all like we thought it would. It may take some time for it to grow into itself again, but for just now it just looks a bit ugly. We’re both agreed on that and we’re both to blame for not making it clearer to Nicky what we wanted. However, like that awful haircut we’ve all had, it will eventually grow back. Unfortunately, trees take longer than hair to grow. We may make a bird box and fix it to the tree, at least then we’ll have something interesting to watch.
It’s always going to be a bit of a wrench having to go to another salsa class and now we have confirmation that the advanced class is to close in March. We’ve discussed it a lot in the last 24 hours and have come to the conclusion that it’s not just one reason for the lack of people, there are lots of reasons:
I really don’t know what the answer is, there may not even be one. We’ll try tomorrow’s ‘Advanced’ class. We’ll give it a fair test and it may be the salvation of Salsa in Glasgow. At least it will be with Jamie as a teacher.
I gave both our cars a quick wash and brush up today. They needed it, then when Scamp was out to lunch with Mags I hung out the washing and that’s where I saw today’s PoD! Scamp’s Christmas Roses are still in flower and are changing colour slightly. It looks like they are going to be sliding towards pink.
Today’s sketch is four Sugardrop tomatoes I spied when I was making paella tonight. A quick 40min sketch, but with decent technique and using a real brush, not a waterbrush for a change.
Tomorrow it’s dancing in the afternoon and hopefully dancing at night too.
It started out today in the sox drawer then it expanded to the underwear drawer and before I could contain it, it had spread to a cupboard.
Tidying! It’s become our new religion. The sox drawer was too easy. It was needing what my mum would have called “a good red out”, and that’s what it got. I lost count of the number of calves strangling tight sox I threw out. I also got rid of some that were more holes than whole. I have to admit it looks a lot better after the changes. Now I may even be able to find boot sox, thin summer sox and just general purpose everyday sox. I was so pleased with my efforts, I started on the underwear drawer. It was a bit tougher, but I girded my loins and got to work. It now too is better organised.
The next one was the biggie. The towel cupboard is my hoarding cupboard. If I ever need a cable to connect my minidisk player to the PC laptop, I know I can get one in a box at the back of the towel cupboard. The towels, by the way, only take up about a shelf’s worth of space. My hoard, at least two shelves. The problem with finding the cable to connect anything to anything else is that I usually get side tracked into looking at something else in there that I’d forgotten I had and I have to check that out too. The usual upshot is that I find the cable, but only after an hour or so’s procrastination. Today that all changed. Half the cables and electronic junk in Scotland is now bulging out of one of the big blue IKEA bags, ready for the tip tomorrow. Of course, not everything went. I couldn’t bear to part with my coronation coach and horses. Even if the gold paint has chipped away to the bare white metal and some of the horses have a pronounced limp, because of missing legs, it’s still an heirloom and must go back in its rightful place. A lot of it has gone, though and another pile is ready for a charity shop. Even the subject of today’s PoD will eventually get the heave. It’s a Zenith LOMO camera, a relic of Soviet-era Leningrad. I think I may encourage Scamp to let it live a little longer with the towels. The biggest space-hog was my collection of lens and camera boxes, just on the off chance I might one day want to trade one of them in. These took up a ridiculous amount of space, but are now tightly packed into a bit plastic box, ready to meet the spiders in the loft the next time I’m up there.
One thing I found in the cupboard was a box crammed with colour slides. I’ve scanned about a quarter of them this afternoon after we finished and closed the door on the towels and the empty space that’s there now. Some lovely shots of the family from about 1975 onwards.
Today’s sketch started off as one whole egg and a couple of egg shells, but the paint wasn’t playing nice. I tried it twice and it just wasn’t working, so I added five more eggs, an egg box and removed the egg shells. I gave up on the paint too, because I was working with room lighting which is a lot closer to the orange end of the spectrum than daylight, so I chose to use pencil instead. I really do have to get more organized and do my drawing and painting in the daytime instead of in the evening when I’ve only got room light.
Should have gone dancing tonight, but my waterworks said no and I listened to them. We should be ok for tomorrow night for salsa. Gems day tomorrow, so I’ll go and clog up the council dump with lots of lovely rubbish.
Apparently every one of them has a shiny metallic inside covering.
Today we were awake and ready to rise from 8am. That was the earliest the “Rat Man” would arrive. With that in mind, Scamp was up and out by 9.30. I was much more relaxed and waited ‘till the end of the chapter of the excellent “Lies Sleeping”, well actually it was the end to the second chapter as it turned out. Still, I’m trying to meter myself with this book, because I know it will be another year before the next one gets published. After coffee and the first run through of today’s Sudoku puzzle, it was time to go back up stairs to clear out the top three shelves of the ‘tank press’ cupboard. It’s been called that since we moved in to the house thirty odd years ago and about twenty years since the actual hot water tank was removed. We waded into the multiple tins of paint, varnish and paint remover. We sorted through boxes of hammers, saws, chisels and gouges. We threw out a fair bit of what might be called antiques, but were really just rubbish and we put the rest back in a much more orderly manner. All this because we worried that the rodents might have built themselves a nest in that cupboard. They hadn’t, thankfully, but as Scamp said, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” I have to agree the cupboard looks a lot more organised. She also said that we should look, next, at the ‘towel cupboard’. So called because it has towels in it. It’s also got loads of cables, cardboard boxes, more cables, boxes of Lego and even more cables. This may take a little longer.
After lunch the “Rat Man” phoned to say he’d be with us in about an hour, and he was as good as his word. He still seemed determined that the rodents were in the loft, but we insisted that we’d heard them last night in the ceiling void. He inspected my handiwork blocking up the hole in the downstairs cupboard and seemed very impressed. What did he expect from an ex-woodwork teacher? He did a fairly extensive survey of the outside of the house back and front and agreed with the lady on the phone who had suggested that he’d probably put down an external box with poison that it’s hoped the rodents will carry in under the house and feed the family in the nest. A sort of rodent Trojan Horse. With that done he went to inspect the house at No 26 where he thought he had seen a possible access hole near the steps to their back door. We bid him farewell and hoped that when he returned in a week’s time we’d have a quieter house.
It was a dull, dreary day, but I’d already got a PoD. While we were waiting for the “Rat Man” I had taken a few shots of Scamp’s Christmas Rose plant on the back step. The flowers are beautiful and just seem to keep coming. The best shot it at the top of the page. Camera on a Gorilla Pod allowed me to use low ISO and remote control from the phone app. That prevented me from getting grain like golfballs in the low light.
That was about it for the day. I think we may be going in to Glasgow tomorrow so I can get my hair cut. New year, New hair.