Category: photography

Seed Heads – 19 September 2026

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Cow Parsley seed heads I found on today’s walk around one of the Cumbersheugh ponds.

It was a dull day. Dull and windy too. We drove over to Brookfield for the Saturday dance class, only to find that the bowling club had the run of the place without mentioning to the time allocated to the dance class had been reduced by a third. It would have been helpful if the bowling club had the decency to tell us the class time had been reduced. Maybe we should have complained to the mayor or lord provost or some such personage. We dancers seem to lose our place against the might of Brookfield’s bowling club. They should be reminded that we, too have a right to use the facilities. We pay for them too!

Actually I quite enjoyed the early finish to the afternoon. I quite enjoy most of the dancing, but Bumbarumba or whatever it’s called isn’t my idea of a dance. It’s a bit of a shambles if you ask me. Most of the folk were struggling to keep in touch with this attempt at a dance. Too fast for some and not exciting enough for others. I’m with the ‘Too Fast’ group.

A quick reprise of the quickstep was very useful and we both managed it. I struggled, as usual, but Scamp just ran through it as if it wasn’t there. That’s the difference between her and me. I struggle to remember these dances, Scamp has them on-tap, so to speak.

We drove home choosing to take the Clyde Tunnel to avoid the delays that usually appear if we try the dreaded Kingston Bridge route. Today it was an easy rung home for a change. I don’t know if that was due to a lighter load of vehicles on the motorway or just a ‘Lucky’ with the extra half hour. Whatever, it worked!

Good to hear from Alex that Carol has arrived home again after her operation on her knee. Hope it sorts itself out quickly Carol.

Today’s PoD went to a Cow Parsley head I saw in St Mo’s. Just because it looked interesting.

Tomorrow we may be packing bags,

Four wheels on my wagon – 18 September 2026

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Well, actually eight wheels if I’m going to be pedantic!

Scamp and I drove up to the town centre to have a blether with Isabel. Costa was cool as usual with the chance of a gale blowing through it at any given moment. The place was crowded as usual on a Friday with weans and their parents. Spoiled screaming toddlers wanting things, any things, just wanting! Scamp seems to be able to zone out these annoyances, but I can’t. One day I might manage to work out how she does it. Anyway, we stayed for the usual hour and a half in this cold cafe before Isabel felt she had to go for a walk round the shops. She went one way and we went another.

Scamp and I were looking for a reasonably priced and a suitably sized cabin case to take on holiday, when we get round to going on holiday. The cases seem to come in three sizes: Small, Medium and Enormous. I was looking for a small, but ended up with a medium. One of the new fangled eight wheeler cases that everybody seems to have these days. After some research it seemed that the one I chose could be squeezed into an EasyJet frame. However, I don’t think it would fit in a Ryanair frame. I think an empty is the size that Ryanair would countenance. So, we think our bags/cases will fit. All we need now is a holiday to go with them.

It was a dull day today, with lots of showers and squally rain. In the afternoon I went for a walk to the shops to get the requirements for tonight’s dinner which was a very old favourite, Cod and Prawns with Fennel and White Wine. It’s a bit fiddly to make, but once you make it a couple of times it all becomes fairly simple. Today’s was very nice, even if I say so myself, although Scamp thought the cod needed more salt. I couldn’t see it myself, but I knew there was salt and pepper in the mixture. Sometimes that changes the taste for you. Strange but true.

It was good to get out for a while, even if I didn’t get any photos. Instead, I found a photo from earlier in the and after some jiggery pokery, it became a new photo. Funny that 😉.

Tomorrow we’re intending to go dancing at Brookfield.

Dancin’ – 17 September 2026

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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

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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.

 

Umbrellas – 15 September 2026

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It was a cold day today. There was a gusty wind blowing and also I hadn’t bothered to wear my rain jacket. At my age, I should have known better.

I went out for a walk in the afternoon. It was just going to be a short walk round St Mo’s pond and I was sure I could get round without getting too wet. There wasn’t much to see on the walk, but the occasional light through the trees gave enough interest for a few shots. It wasn’t until I was heading back and passing the kids playpark that I saw the Umbrella. Probably a child’s toy umbrella that they’d dropped into one of the swings on the way home. Anyway, there wasn’t anyone around so I took the opportunity to take a couple of shots (or 33 to be more exact). My favourite one, and PoD, was the one you see here.

When I got home, three different letters dropped through our letterbox. Three different letters from three different people who were giving the details for Scamp’s procedure which is now booked. Why we need three different experts to each send slightly different official letters, I don’t know. I can only say that we’re definitely going now.

I did a bit of sewing today. An old peg bag that holds clothes pegs had fallen apart a few weeks ago and I’d promised to fix it. Scamp had repaired it years ago and it worked well until a different row of stitching on the other side of the bag fell apart. I set to this afternoon and stitched both sides (Belts and Braces!). Hopefully that should keep it in good working order for a few years.

Scamp is out with The Witches tomorrow and I’m tidying up my room.

Work, Work, Work – 14 September 2026

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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.

Gardening – 13 September 2026

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Scamp wanted to get the grass cut today.

We hadn’t cut the grass properly for ages and today looked like being a decent day, so the strimmer and the mower were brought out. Scamp worked through the rough stuff at the edge of the front grass with the strimmer, while I moved the pots on to the path. Then she started on the main area of the grass and I wrapped up the strimmer. It all sounds a bit shambolic, but it does work. Once everything was done and cleaned, we stashed both the cutters away in their place in the cupboard.

While Scamp had a coffee, I went for a walk over to St Mo’s still keeping to the paths just in case any little nasties were lying in wait. On the boardwalk there were quite a lot of dragonflies circling each other and I did manage to get a few shots. I thought one of them would have made PoD, but after looking through the final shots, the winner went to a little spider wrapping up its lunch.

Back home Scamp started dinner which was an old favourite. Prawn and Pea Risotto. Quite delicious.

Spoke to Jamie later in the evening and Scamp gave him the full explanation of last week’s visit to Dundee.

Dancin’ – 12 September 2026

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Back in the old routine.

Today started with a drive through the rain to Brookfield. One of those strange days when the weather couldn’t quite agree whether it wanted rain or sun and in the ended opted for both … at the same time. Heavy rain showers and rainbows at the same time. But we weren’t there to gaze at the weather variations. Oh no, the teachers had a new ‘dance’ for us Rhumbumbumba! A silly name for an equally silly piece of nonsense. We danced it twice an by the end of the second repeat, I was lost. I’ve a feeling the teachers are going to push this piece of nonsense for all it’s worth. Not impressed!

The next dance was the Butterfly Jive. No butterflies were injured in the making of the dance, but it was much more sedate than the Rhumb…. We did kind of remember it, Scamp says it’s been around since 2024 when we last attempted it. I vaguely remember it and had a go at it with Scamp leading.

Next up were variations on the Quickstep. I don’t claim to be able to do it, but at least I can place my feet in roughly the correct places for the music without tripping over myself … well, almost. By the end of the session I was beginning to understand how the figures went together.

Stewart and Jane were determined to get us up on our feet again for yet another session of Rhumb… etc, but I sat that one out. If you want to involve yourself in a line dance, search YouTube for Rhumbumbumba. It appears to be all the rage! Good Luck.

Drove home in the rain but made good time for a change, taking almost the same time getting home compared to the time we took to get to Brookfield. Forty five minutes each way.

Back home I made a watered down espresso coffee for Scamp. She wasn’t impressed, but said it was much better with Drinking Chocolate added to it. I’ll take her word for it. I think I’m coming to terms with the new machine and getting good results from it.

Today’s PoD is a wee flower from the garden a blue flowered Polenium.

No plans for tomorrow.

Bad Hair Day – 11 September 2026

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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

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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.