Category: Just Visiting

The not so Common Market – 04 February 2017

Posted on by Zogman

4 Feb

Madeleine found one of the ‘singing frogs’ in the shower this morning and managed to capture it in a jar.  It’s a tiny wee thing, no bigger than my thumb nail and that’s it fully grown.  After its photo call we let it go back to rejoin its midnight choir.

Just a coffee for breakfast this morning because we were going to the Green Market and Madeleine said we would get something to eat there.

I didn’t realise it was so far away, almost halfway to Yves’ house, or so it seemed.  When we got there the market was in full swing and there was lots for these Scottish visitors to gawp at.  Dasheen, Yams, Cassava and real live cocoa pods.  An amazing variety of fruit and veg that we had only heard about or read about in books sitting on benches right there in front of us.  After a quick walk through, we went looking for that breakfast.  We all had Empanadas – that’s fried corn bread ‘rolls’ with a variety of fillings.  I had beef, Scamp had chicken, Jaime had pork and Madeleine had cheese.  While we were sitting there stuffing our faces with these fatty foods, a lady from a local surgery was explaining how high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension are all caused by obesity and too much fatty foods.  I don’t think this was the best place to be putting out that message – or maybe it was!  I was amazed to find Ortaniques (a cross between and orange and a tangerine) for sale on one of the stalls.  I remember getting them in Larkhall away back in the 1960s.  I haven’t seen them for years.  Three for a pound was a bargain too good to pass up.  Another stall was selling juices and they were lovely.  Scamp had a mixture of ginger, melon and coconut water.  I had passion fruit.

When we were done there, it was back in to town and a visit to another market.  This one called the Up Market.  It was a sports hall filled with stalls selling lots of different crafts.  I bought myself a copper bracelet to ward off rheumatism and Scamp got a pair of maracas to use with Gems!IMG_3710

After that it was time to go home.  Nobody really wanted lunch, but there was a good selection of fruit so we had that.  You see, maybe that lady’s talk did sink in after all.  After the fruit fest, Scamp went out to read in the garden and I staked my claim on a place to sketch Jaime’s hut.  Possibly the neatest hut ever.  Madeleine says it’s not so neat inside.  I’m not sure I believe her.  Anyway, this was a pencil sketch for a change.  Unfortunately my Staedtler pencil was loaded with 2H lead, not 2B so tone was difficult to achieve.  But, like yesterday’s, it’s done.

Tonight J&M took us out to a Chinese restaurant for a meal.  The meal was delicious, but the way it was organized with veg being ordered separately from the meat was very strange.  Good food and good company.  You can’t beat it!

Third Time Lucky – 03 February 2017

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3 Feb2

We were driving down to Chaguaramas, on the north western tip of the island, for a stroll on the boardwalk, but when we got on to the highway, Jaime discovered that he’d forgotten to take his pills, so we turned at the first available place and headed back.  On the way we stopped to get some fresh fruit from a stall at the side of the road.  At the house Jaime and Madeleine went in to drop off the fruit.  Then it was back to the highway again.  It was then that Jaime discovered that he’d dropped off the fruit, but forgotten to take his pills, so it was back round the loop for a second time, and this time he did remember to take his pills and we headed back on to the highway for the third time that day.

When we got to Chaguaramas we parked and took a walk heading east along the boardwalk.  The boards themselves are not made of wood, but of plastic coated MDF.  A strange choice for a walkway open to the ocean because it soaks up water, expands and breaks apart, but I suppose costs must be cut somewhere.  The area around the boardwalk seemed to be in a state of flux and it wasn’t clear if the area had been developed then fallen into disrepair or if it was still being constructed.  I would venture to say it was the former.  When we stopped to admire a Tamarind tree two Indian blokes came over and spoke to us.  It turned out they were putting in a quote to renovate the boardwalk area and this confirmed my suspicion that maintenance is the problem here.  As we were heading back to the car, one of he security men came over and talked to us and almost his first question was “What do you think about Theresa May?”  I have to say that most of the people we’ve met here have been very friendly and interested in these Scottish visitors.

The short beach at Chaguaramas is well used mainly by coloured bodies.  I think we were the only white faces to be seen.  It’s quite an industrial looking area, but the water was clean.  Apparently the beach is man-made.  Nobody seemed to mind that and lots of folk were out enjoying the water.  All except one wee toddler who wasn’t enjoying being washed in a cold foot bath outside the toilet block.

When we left there we went to the Cruise Inn where the other three had the strongest sangria I’ve ever tasted and I had a Heineken ‘Green Tea’.  We were going to have lunch there, but Scamp suggested we go back next Sunday for dinner and that seemed to satisfy everyone.

On the way home we stopped to buy some Hops Bread which is like a soft roll with a light crust on top.  It’s got a very yeasty smell and tastes lovely.  I’m intending to try making some when we get home.

IMG_3698After lunch which was the recycled remains of yesterday’s curry with a slice of reheated shepherd’s pie for me I started on today’s sketch.  What you see is the second one as I wasn’t happy with the result of the first one.  I’m not terribly happy with this one either.  It’s a bit squint and not all that interesting, but it will have to do.  It’s a sketch and it’s done in time.

Madeleine and Jaime were busy all evening trying to cut through the red tape that ties up all passport applications for Venezuela.   I wish them luck in their quest.

Up in the hills again – 02 February 2017

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2 FebIt rained overnight although neither Scamp nor I heard it.  We were well into dreamland at the time.  However, the raindrops on the myriad of leaves in the garden gave me a chance to grab some early photos.  We had breakfast in the garden.  Back home in February, if you tried that,  the men in the white coats would come to drag you away.  Either that or the paramedics would drag you away to try to cure the hypothermia.  But this is not Scotland, so it was a comfortable breakfast.

Later, Jaime drove us up into the Northern range again to visit Mount St Benedict monastery where he had worked as a teacher some years ago.  The road there was one hairpin bend after another.  It was a bit like climbing up the Quairang but with about five times that number of corners.  The view from the top was worth it.  A beautiful panorama right over the centre of Trinidad.  We met the some of the monks and got a quick tour round the buildings.  With its remote situation it makes an excellent retreat centre if you can drag yourself away from the views.

As Jaime drove us back down and through the university grounds, Madeleine phoned up an order for lunch which we picked up on the way home.  Lunch was Indian with Curried Mango, Channa and Aloo, Pumpkin Curry, Curried Chicken, Spicy Bodi beans and Daal.  All mopped up with Paratha.  Curried Mango was my favourite followed closely by Spicy Bodi and Pumpkin Curry.

After our carry-out lunch, we were far too full to do anything strenuous, so we lazed around the garden for a couple of hours.  We watched two IMG_3679iguanas climbing the mahogany tree in the park behind the garden.  I sketched the new house next door.  There were too many different angles to make it look realistic and I got the perspective wrong on the door.  Never mind, it’s all a learning experience.  I finally after about three bum steers got it posted on FB in 28 Drawings Later.

A Day at the Seaside – 31 January 2017

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31 Jan

 

Today we headed for the market again.  This time we knew it would be open, because it’s closed on a Monday, but today was Tuesday.  It was closed.  It turns out that it’s only open each day from 6am until 10am and we arrived at 10.30.  Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

Part two of today’s plan worked perfectly.  Jaime drove us to Maracas Bay on the north of the island and the weather was superb.  On shore breeze and all the sun, sand and sea you could wish for.  Hired four sun loungers and settled in for the day.  If there was a fly in the ointment, it was the wind which brought in some heavy rollers and as there was a red flag all along the beach, we didn’t get to swim.  That wasn’t a problem for us because there was loads to see all around us.  For lunch M&J introduced us to Shark and Bake.  I watched ours being made and it’s basically fish dipped in batter and then flour and fried in hot oil in a wok.  While it’s cooking the girl rolled out a mini pizza sized piece of dough and deep fried it too in hot oil, also in a wok.  When the dough is puffed up and golden, she takes it out of the oil and slices it almost in half and then rescues the fish from the frier and fills the cooked dough with it.  It sounds disgusting and it probably wasn’t the healthiest meal I’ve had, but it tasted good.

Scamp and I went for a walk from one end of this beach to the other and it felt like paradise.  Jaime says he used to swim from one end to the other.  He probably did, but not on a wild day like today, I think.

Clouds were rolling in from the east and we took our leave of this little slice of paradise, but I hope we can come back some day.  We were right to leave when we did because the heavens opened when we were halfway home and we had some heavy rain for a while, but again we were lucky because we were just on the edge of the storm.

Played Rummikub at the house and got Jaime to play a game with us.  He won!  He’s a natural.

Don’t know exactly what we’re doing tomorrow.  I think it’s a rest day.

Music by the yard – 30 January 2017

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30 JanToday we were going to the big outdoor market in Port of Spain, but when we got there it was closed.  After checking Madeleine found out that it’s closed every Monday.  Not to worry, we could go to the museum.  After we got parked, we walked to the museum, only to find that it was closed too.  So we drove back to the house and after a snooze, we had lunch which was salt fish cooked with peppers and onions.  This was served with black beans, kidney beans, fried plantain and avocado.  Finished off with coconut ice cream.

The rest of the afternoon was catching up with Flickr and blog posts.

Before dinner, I managed to get a sketch finished.  The first one on the new Moleskine sketchbook, well, the first one I’m willing to publish.  It’s a bit late for week 4 in my sketch a day pledge, but it’s finished and I’m fairly happy with it. 

Before dinner and just as the sun was setting we all went for a fast walk around Diego Martin.  While we were out we saw a Zumba or Salsercise group doing their workout in a basketball court.  It looked just like our Monday night warm-up before class.  We were doing our own workout, climbing a steep hill twice.  I was amazed at the number of folk of all ages out getting their exercise in the gloaming.

Tonight was the last practise night for the Steel Pan bands before tomorrow’s competition, so around 10pm we set out to listen to them.  After a couple of wrong turns finding smaller bands practising short pieces, we found the Pan Yard where last year’s champions, The Silver Stars were going through their routine.  I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t over sixty men and women hammering out an amazing rhythm on steel pans.  The sound was incredible.  If I hadn’t seen it, I would have thought it was purely electronic music I was listening to. For someone who has only heard Caribbean steel bands on TV, this was a game changer.  Jaime is right, it’s impossible to record this music in a studio.  It’s one of those sounds that can only be appreciated in the open air. Truly an unforgettable experience.

Perf – 17 January 2017

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Today we went to Perf, Perth to you.  It was a really dull, dreary day when we left the Cumbernauld Cloud, but true to form, the weather brightened up about halfway to Stirling and from then on it was a lovely day.

Walked from the carpark to the coffee shop to start our visit in the time-honoured fashion and stopped at Clarks shoe shop to see if there were any bargains.  There were and a new pair of shoes and trainers were soon bagged and paid for.  I think the trainers may replace the ones I got last week.  Both are Goretex which I think is the bees knees as far as walking in Scotland is concerned, in fact all three new pieces of footwear are Goretex.  Coffee scoffed we wandered for a while around Perf and decided on an early lunch.  We went to a new (to us) cafe and I had a lamb burger (which I am suffering for now) topped with feta cheese.  Not sure it’s a great combination.  I get the link: Feta – cheese made from sheep’s milk and Lamb, but it just didn’t taste that good.  Maybe it’s just me.  Scamp had a chicken burger which seemed to go down well.  Coffee was on a par with Callander Coffee!

After lunch we split up Scamp went shopping for a bag and I went looking for books.  Didn’t find any, but I did pick up a lovely Dylan album in  the Bootleg series.  From the Philharmonic Hall in New York 1964.  An all acoustic set.  Brilliant.  Scamp didn’t find a bag – the search continues.   I also got today’s trilogy.  The girl in the mono shots was busking next to the the iconic street architecture in the main street of Perf.  Actually she was quite good and I really should have dropped some money in her guitar bag.  I liked the graphical nature of the the square window overseen by the security camera.

When we met up again, I went and got some coffee and tea and also dropped in at a fabric shop and bought some blue cotton with white spots to make another bow tie, a keeper this time I hope.  By the time we got on to the main street, the light was failing and it was time to drive home.  I felt quite sorry for the old church at the end of the main street.  I’ve photographed it a few times.  It used to provide great shots of pigeons sitting in the broken stained glass windows.  The last time we were in Perf there was scaffolding on it and I hoped it would be renovated, but today there was a security fence round it and the scaffolding was gone.  Soon, I think the church will be too.  Such a pity.

I finally managed to rip the Monty Python DVD tonight.  I used an old program that I’ve used in the past and also one that Hazy suggested, ‘Make MKV’.  It wouldn’t work on the Mac, I think it didn’t like the DVD player being connected by USB.  Maybe the information stream wasn’t quick enough.  However, when I used the PC laptop, MakeMKV got to work right away and after half an hour or so later I had the rip.  Unfortunately it was a 4Gb rip.  Compressing it into an MP4 file looks like it’s going to take a couple of hours, but that’s a job for tomorrow.

No plans for tomorrow yet, apart from converting from MKV to MP4.

A bargain at half the price – 7 January 2017

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Today we were tempted to go to Dunfermline today, but a great grey cloud hanging over the central belt put an end to that idea.  Instead we opted for Stirling.  It was there or Glasgow and we’d been traipsing around Glasgow too much recently, so Stirling it was.

As usual we left the grey Cumbernauld Cloud behind us after a few miles on the M80, but then, just before the Stirling cut-off we drove into a bank of thick fog.  So thick that I had to use front and rear fog lights.  Stirling itself was clear and although the parking sign showed that all the multi-storey carparks were closed, our usual carpark was almost empty.  People just want to be as close as they can be to the shops.  A walk of a few hundred yards is too much for so many.  Saw a nice shot of a bottle of Buckfast and a packet of crisps sitting in the carpark.  The remains of someone’s lunch perhaps?  Stirling, like I said, was clear of fog and in fact was sitting glowing under a blue sky.

I went to Waterstones to see if I could pick up any bargains and I did.  I found the Ruby Wax book ‘Frazzled’ for a fiver (a saving of £10).  Next stop Tiso whose Stirling shop was closing as the lease was up and the rent had been increased considerably.  I got myself a neat pair of Berghaus gloves half price.  I was looking for a pair of walking trainers and Scamp found the last pair of size 8s for just less than half price.  Last bargain of the day was a pair of shorts/longs trousers for £15.  Very pleased with myself.  I did think about going past the Apple Reseller to see if they had any bargains, but knew that would be asking too much.  Today seemed to be my day, Scamp didn’t snag any bargains, I’m afraid.

A quick trip to Waitrose and we were heading back under the Cumbernauld Cloud.  No fog this time, thank goodness.

Waiting to see what the weather has in store before we make plans for tomorrow.

Troon – 2 January 2017

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Out before 10.30 this morning because although it was two degrees below zero, the sun was shining and the sky was fairly clear, so it would have been a shame to waste such a beautiful morning.

We pointed the car towards the west and drove down to Troon.  Probably Scamp’s favourite place in all the world or at least very nearly the favourite.  The drive down was great and I saw some beautiful photos just waiting to be taken.  Unfortunately, when you’re on a dual carriageway travelling at just under 70mph, you can’t just stop instantly, jump out and grab the shot then jump back in the car.  You have to give some consideration to other road users and the laws of physics.  What you can do is record them on your inner camera and remember the place, time and weather conditions, then hope you can replicate them when you have more time to stop and look.  If not, you’ve always got that inner record to look at in your mind’s eye.  The best thing about the inner image is, it’s perfect.  No intrusive grain, no camera shake, not photobombers.  Everything is just perfect.

When we got to Troon, I think we got the last space in the carpark.  Temperature was now on the positive side of zero, but not by much.  We took a walk along the front, heading south, wrapped up for the cold, but wearing sunglasses to avoid the bright sun. About halfway along we bumped into my old boss with his wife and son.  ‘Old’ as in the sense of ‘from some years ago’, because he is much younger than me.  Almost the same age as you JIC!  We talked for a while before his son wanted to be getting away on his scooter.  We had to scoot too, because it was cold just standing.  At the end of the path we walked onto the sand and continued out past where the kite surfers are usually to be found.  There were none today, I suppose because there wasn’t enough wind for them. After a while we turned round and although the sun was now at our backs, the wind was in our faces.  You can’t win sometimes.

We walked back into town and thought about going to the Lido for lunch, but it looked quite busy, so Scamp suggested we have a coffee in a wee cafe round the corner.  The Venice cafe was busy too, but we managed to grab a booth while another family were dithering about deciding if they was enough space for them.  He who hesitates is lost.  We won.  Lunch was a roll ’n’ scrambled egg for Scamp and a roll ’n’ flat sausage for me and two of the best coffees I’ve had outside of our house.  I’ve a good mind to get a business card from the Venice and hand it to the owner of the cafe in Callander and say “That’s how you make coffee mate!”

After that, it was back up the road with a stop to get tomorrow’s dinner from Morrison’s.

Tomorrow?  Scamp’s sister’s coming for dinner and before that it’s coffee with Fred for me.  Sorted.

A Day in the Trossachs – 27 December 2016

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After the last two days, we decided to get out and about today and that is what we did.  We agreed on Loch Lubnaig as the destination.

It was a pleasant drive along from Stirling to Callander and on to the loch itself.  We’d decided to park at the big car park.  We were pretty sure the cafe wouldn’t be open, but when we got there, we found the car park was locked up too.  Barrier down and padlocked.  What pinhead in the quango that owns this car park decided it would be a good idea to lock up it up during the Christmas holidays?  Don’t they want to encourage tourism?  Probably not.  So, having been baulked by our first attempt, we went back to the smaller parking place, where you are also expected to pay to park 366 days a year and what do you get for your £1.40 per two hours?  Well, you get a hard standing and … Well, that’s it really.  No toilets. No cafe.  No shelters.  You do get picnic benches and BBQ holders.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have a BBQ, or a picnic, or £1.40.  Actually we did have the £1.40, but that had been pre-allocated for parking at the big car park which does have all the aforementioned facilities.  We were rebels!  We didn’t pay the parking fee.  So, Mr Car Park, “I don’t want to park with you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!”

I took some photos of the hills around Lubnaig from CP2 and then we drove down to the hedonism of Callander itself.  This time we did pay for parking, like good little tourists.  The River Teith was just about bursting its banks with all the rain that’s fallen in  the last few days and the car park is right down next to the river, but Callander isn’t a very big (or interesting) place, so I didn’t reckon we’d be there long enough to get flooded.  We walked down one side of the main street.  At first I thought everything was closed.  I was half right.  All the shops were closed, it was the cafes and tea shops that were open.  We eventually chose a dingy little cafe.  All we wanted was a coffee and a bowl of soup or a sandwich.  I finally settled for an Award Winning Pie (which was actually very good!) and Scamp had a vastly overpriced bowl of soup.  We also had two cups of brown water.  At first I thought it was just straight out of the river, but then I realised that the river water was darker than this stuff.  It was meant to be Americano, but I think they were cutting corners and just steeping the beans in the cup without grinding them first.  I can honestly say it was the worst cup of ‘coffee’ I’ve ever tasted.  Even Starbucks would be better than that.  No, wait, that’s taking things a bit too far.  At least I could drink this dishwater.  It didn’t taste of anything but nobody asked my name so they could write it on the cup.  I don’t think they do that any more in Starbucks for obvious reasons.  “Hugh Jars.   Your americano’s ready!”

Got some pics of Goosanders on the river and of some neat yarnbombing going on in the town before waving goodbye to great pies and boggin’ coffee and heading for home.  On the way we stopped off to see David Stirling the hardest man in Stirlingshire.  His statue stands on a wee hill overlooking the snowy hills of Perthshire.  Then it was back to motorway driving all the way home.

That was a beautiful day and I think Scamp enjoyed it as much as me.

Tomorrow?  No plans as yet.

Perf – 8 December 2016

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8 Dec

Today we went to Perth.  We drove there this time.  I needed coffee, it seems like I always need coffee.  I’ve got the blending bug and am happy to mix and match my beans, sometimes coming up something that tastes better than the constituent parts … sometimes.

We’d booked a table at Cafe Tabou for 12.30 but because we were a bit late getting out this morning, we were running a bit behind schedule and didn’t have time for a coffee on arrival, but the other side of the coin was that we didn’t have as long to wait for lunch!  Speaking of lunch, it was:

Scamp

Starter:  Mussels with smoked haddock and leek in a mustard sauce

Main:  Baked cod steak with leek and smoked salmon risotto with hazelnut butter

Me

Starter:  Seasonal salad leaves with beef cheek, roast beetroot, giant cous cous, croutons and garlic dressing

Main:  Pan fried venison escalope served with braised red cabbage, potato gratin and bramble jus

Both were delicious.

The rest of the day was spent wandering round the shops.  Obviously for my core readers, the actual shops and shopping must remain redacted.

Driving home the sunset was building all the way.  I stopped off in my favourite place and got a load of shots, the best of which form today’s mosaic.

We had intended to go in to Glasgow tonight to dance at Barca, but after a long day in Perth, we decided not to bother.  Maybe next week.

Tomorrow we are expecting a day of rain, so I may go to wander the streets of Glasgow to source even more prezzies or I may just stay in and paint.