Category: Mr Grey

Cold and Frosty – 13 December 2015

Posted on by Zogman

combo bOut just after 10.00 this morning to make the most of the bright light, blue sky and ground frost.  Just a quick trip to St Mo’s to see if there were any deer around (there were) and if there were any photo opportunities to be had (there were).

I had hoped that Mr Grey would be out near the shore fishing for food, but as I was walking across the road, he was flying above me in the opposite direction.  I did get a shot of two one-footed coots on the icy pond.  I guess it doesn’t hurt so much if you only stand on one foot, because only one foot freezes at a time.  I walked down through the deciduous woods without a sign of any deer, then when I was almost at the small pond, two of them ran across my path about 100metres away.  I walked on a bit and startled another group of five or six younger animals who sped away fast.  I didn’t attempt to photograph them, it was just good to see them run.

Walked on over the hill at the road and got a few more shots of frozen leaves and dried thistles.  The stuff most photogs like me take.  My kind of photos, Scamp calls them.  I liked the light on the pine trees beside the path from the boardwalk and got some good directional light on them.  After that, it was back home for tea and toast.

Didn’t do much else other than make some bread and cook the venison I got yesterday for my dinner.

At night it was the Salsa Christmas Ball.  I think we both had a ball, despite the floor being sticky with something unmentionable and there being very little room to dance when it seemed that everyone was on the floor at the same time.  Because neither of us had work in the morning, we could stay as long as we liked.  We liked midnight as a time to stay until.  By then I’d danced with seven girls which must be a record for me.  Still to see the Photo Booth photos, but I’m sure they will be hilarious.  Great time with great people.

I want to go back to Tenerife – 23 November 2015

Posted on by Zogman

comboToo much ‘footering‘ today. There’s a good Scottish word for you ‘Footering‘. Just messing around without getting anything done, that’s footering. I had hoped for some dry weather in the morning so I could get out and get some photos, but from early morning it was drizzly rain.
Eventually I got myself organised and went out for a walk with the Oly to St Mo’s in the rain.

I’d seen the armchair yesterday and set it as my target today. Strangely, the weather was ideal for what I wanted to do with the chair. I wanted it to look grungy and it does.

I came upon Mr Grey hunting in the pool and started stalking him. Unfortunately he was watching me all the time. I got a few shots of him, but wasn’t happy with them at all. It was only when he flew off I got a decent shot of him.

I went to the gym and the pool in the afternoon. It looks like the gym will be out of commission for the month of December and that’s only a week away, so for a month it will be swim only and the pool will therefore be mobbed. Let’s hope it’s worth it in the end.

Salsa tonight was Sacr and was brilliant. It looks like we will be getting him for the next two weeks too. I’m looking forward to it.

A Lesson Learned – 22 November 2015

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DSC_4359- blog--326Learning from the lessons of yesterday, we were up and out fairly early today to make the most of the good light. Drove to Colzium House in Kilsyth and went for a walk around the gardens. It was pretty cold and we were both well wrapped up. Heavy jacket, scarf and fingerless gloves (thanks Hazy – I kept meaning to tell you how useful they were). I think we both enjoyed the walk and it was good to see some of the autumn colours still showing through, although the trees are looking quite bare now.

Home via Lidl to pick up some veg for the dinner, then I started to unhook the old dishwasher from the water supply and the drain. That took minutes to do, but wrestling it out of the tight space it was in took a lot longer. I couldn’t work out what was holding it in place. Surely the joiners hadn’t screwed it in to the side panels when they were fitting it in with the new (ten year old) kitchen. No, it was nothing like that. It was a strip of the vinyl flooring that had become caught on the underside of the dishwasher and was locking it in place. Anyway, it’s out now and waiting to be taken away on Tuesday.

Later I went for a walk around St Mo’s to get some shots in the last little bit of good daylight. Nothing very interesting to see although I did manage to startle a couple of deer, but they were too quick for me. Caught sight of Mr Grey and grabbed a few frames of him to add to my collection.

The rest of the night was spent getting Flickr up to date. It is now. Weather station shows -0.3ºc tonight. Winter is here.

I see sunshine – 7 August 2015

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Yes, it’s been sunny all day. Completed a watercolour painting this morning. Not a new one really. It was one of the first ones I did in acrylic, but I always felt it would look better in watercolour. I’d done a sketch of it earlier in the week and it looked ok., Bits of the finished watercolour are good, the sky for instance, but there are other areas that look overworked to my eye. Onward and upward!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe took a walk down to the pub for lunch. Rather than the usual fish and OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAchips, I had a carvery and just a little bit too much. Scamp was jetting off on the bus to the ‘toonie’ while I walked home, then went out to annoy the deer in St Mo’s. Saw and captured Mr Grey – the heron – a couple of dragonflies a froglet (or toadlet) and finally two deer. I imagine they were quite young, because they let me get quite close and didn’t run away far when I got too close. Two little Bambies!

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By the time I got home, Scamp was already ensconced in the garden, so I set Lightroom to import the pics, and build the 1:1 previews while we decided it was Pimms o’ clock. A very enjoyable hour or so sitting reading in the sun with a Strawberry Pimms. Sometimes life is good.

Sitting in the sun (without a raincoat) – 14 July 2015

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The day started like any other Scottish summer day with drizzle then heavier rain. It didn’t matter to me because I was waiting in for Yodel to deliver a parcel for Scamp. I used the time wisely by starting another sketch from the Italy cruise. One day I will be confident enough to sketch or paint from life rather than from photos, but not today. Watercolour in the rain? I don’t think so. I wasn’t very confident about Yodel, having had a parcel just before Christmas, simply disappear and have to her replaced. However, the parcel did arrive just after midday.

DSC_2903- blog--195.jpgSince the rain had stopped and the sun had come out, Scamp decided to cut the grass. After that she wanted the gladioli to be tied up to prevent them being blown down and broken. This was my task. While doing it and getting cut to pieces on the roses that border the gladioli, I found a stray damselfly on the grass. I don’t think Scamp had mowed it with the grass, but the beastie wasn’t looking at its best. I carefully lifted it up and put it on a rosebud, hoping that it would find some aphids for lunch, but all the aphids on the roses were dead. The damselfly clung on to the rosebud and as far as I know, it’s still there.

DSC_2908- blog--195.jpgAfter the gardening, we got out the lounger (for Scamp) and the camp chair (for me) and we both decided it was Pimms O’ Clock, and had a little refreshment reading and sitting in the sun. I sat for a very pleasant hour or so before I got itchy feet and went for a safari in St Mo’s. I got a few shots of Mr Grey, my favourite is here. I also was lucky enough to get some shots of a dragonfly in the classic dragonflyDSC_2922- blog--195.jpg pose with wings out. There were a few damselflies out, but not as many as in the past few weeks. As July wears on, it’s usual to have a decrease in the numbers of damsels and an increase in the population of dragons. I don’t know if it will be the same this year with our cold summer. We can only hope that today is the start of some warmer weather.

A pint of beer and a fish supper – 10 July 2015

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Up at 7.30am and out for 8.00am for a Gym and a Swim. The weather at that time of the morning was very misty and there was little to see from the panoramic windows round the swimming pool. By early afternoon the mist had lifted and the sun was making it a much more pleasant day. We needed milk, so Scamp and I walked down to the garage to get some. On the way we stopped at the Broadwood and had a beer and a fish tea. Well, I had a beer but Scamp opted for the more ladylike glass or red wine. Very nice and not too expensive either.

On the way back, I took a detour into St Mo’s and managed a few shots of Mr Gray cooling his feet in the pond. It seemed like he wanted to ignore me and didn’t fly off in a strunt like he usually does. I think he knew he was safe standing in the mud in the middle of the pond.

Walking back from the garage, we had noticed that the traffic was much heavier than usual on the local road. When I walked to the motorway bridge, I found out the reason. For miles in both directions it was wall-to-wall cars. Presumably a lot of these were hoping to go to T in the Park. It looked like it would be a long journey. I hope it was worth it.