Category: photography

Westward Ho – 4 June 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Today we were going west. Along a great road. In fact we were on the Great Western Road to Gartnavel Hospital to drop Scamp off for her brain scan.

I was glad I didn’t listen to my, now dodgy, sat nav as it tried to direct me through a line of bollards and then a steel barrier onto a road that no longer exists. In fact, a road that hasn’t existed for about 10 years. That’s what’s good about Nissans. Their technology make life more interesting. The sat nav was trying to direct us off at junction 17 of the M8, when we knew we should leave by junction 18. The rest was fairly well know to us from when we went dancing twice a week along Woodlands Road. Not exactly on the road, but in a building, just off Woodlands Road!

I dropped Scamp off at the hospital and as she was happy to go into the hospital alone and there were no spaces in the car park anyway, I drove back into the centre of Glasgow and parked in the JL car park.

I was too early to meet Alex, so I thought I’d have a wander through town first. That was before I saw the sheets of rain being blown down the street. Maybe it would be best to walk through the car park and over the covered bridge to Buchanan Galleries. From there I only had to cross the road to get to the bus station where Alex would arrive about 20 mins later.

The bus station is busy and a great place for people-watching. That’s what I ended up doing. “All human life is here” was a leader in the Times Literary Supplement some years ago and it can certainly be applied to train stations, airports and bus stations. Watching folk coming and going some carefully consulting their watches when connections are simply not connecting. My connection worked today when Alex strode along the concourse.

We walked down to Nero and discussed our plans for today. We agreed to do our usual walk down Buchanan Street, on through St Enoch’s Square and down to the Clyde Walkway to see what new graffiti there was. The answer was, not a lot. I’m guessing the rain that had fallen during the last week would make outdoor painting difficult, if not impossible.

I got a message around about then to say that everything was going well. Her injection had been in the back of her hand and she was now going to wait for it to spread through her body.

We on the other hand walked on past the St Andrews Church and further still until I found an old cobbled street that I recognised as Paddy’s Market. The market’s name originated with the large numbers of Irish immigrants who came to Scotland in the early 19th century, and I remembered it as a dirty alleyway where much wheeling and dealing went on. Now it’s just a cobbled street with some poor quality, but colourful graffiti adorned the walls. The view down through Paddy’s Market made PoD.

From there we walked up to Paesano for lunch. We agreed that it was one of the best pizzas we’d had. Quite, quite delicious. We had a look through the GOMA, but there wasn’t much to see there so we headed round the corner and had a coffee in Costa. Just then I got a message saying Scamp was on the bus back into town. I’d told her I would collect her, but Scamp is her own woman. Always has been.

We three sat and talked about the day in town and in Gartnavel and then we all headed home. Scamp was keeping her distance because she had been warned that the injection could be slightly contagious and she didn’t want Alex carrying it in to the house. Very thoughtful.

We split up at JL we were going to get the car from the car park and Alex was heading for the bus. A strange thing happened when we went to pay for our parking. I was parked on level 6 but I tried to pay on level 1, but I, and everyone else on level1, got the same message that card was rejected. We walked up to level 2 and got the same result. In fact, everyone had the same problem. Then one girl showed us where the help button was. We pressed it and before we could explain to the operator that the machine wasn’t working, he told us to go straight to the exit because the gate would be open for us due to a system error!! That saved us £14 for the day’s parking!! Wasn’t that nice! A lovely way to end the day.

Tomorrow we may visit Isobel in the morning for coffee and a blether.

A late rise – 3 June 2025

Posted on by Zogman

One of those days when we never heard the alarm clock go off.

Maybe that was because we didn’t set the alarm clock in the first place. In fact, I’m not sure we still have an alarm clock, but if we did have, we wouldn’t have heard it this morning.

After breakfast, and after Wordle et al, we drove over to Go Outdoors in Coatbridge, to search for a pair of trainers, nice cheap(ish) ones, like the ones I’d tried on and rejected in the same chain, in Kingston. It took a bit of searching, but I eventually found what I was looking for and this time I didn’t reject them. They seemed to fit perfectly for a change.

When we got back in the car I tried to set our next destination on the sat nav, which was Currys for a new tablet for Scamp. That was when the sat nav went bonkers. It decided that we were actually in France and then somewhere down Africa way. I tried switching the engine off, counting to ten and trying again, with the same result. Eventually I gave in and drove to the Currys by memory. Switched the engine off and locked the car.

We found the tablet Scamp had sourced on the internet and bought it in Currys. Then we did some shopping for something that would work for tonight’s dinner across the car park in Tesco. That should give the car and sat nav enough time to cool its wheels and settle down to work. It did. It gave us the correct directions to take us home. I’ve not got a clue what caused that mishap. It’s the first time I’ve experienced it.

I drove to Tesco in the town centre for petrol and Scamp searched unsuccessfully for a new dress, then we went home. Just got stopped and parked at the house when the skies opened and we were in the middle of a downpour. Nearly got soaked walking from the car to the house. That was the first of many such downpours today, in fact, as I’m writing this, another one is starting. Such strange weather.

Quite a fiery chicken curry for dinner that was cooled down with an ice lolly as a dessert.

PoD was a photo of a Lupin plant in the garden. I always liked the strong colours of lupins. If you find the photo on Flickr and can go back one step, you’ll find a photo of one of the London Parakeets that fly in gangs around the city.

Tomorrow Scamp and I are intending to drive to Glasgow for her scan, and after dropping her off, I’m hoping to meet Alex.

Hot again today – 21 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

A day that started with 14ºc but which did have a few sprinkles of rain to cool us down.

It wasn’t a day for doing much or for going anywhere. Most of the work we were doing was in the house for a change, at least it was cool there. I couldn’t be bothered going over to St Mo’s for photos, so restricted myself to photos of the bees on the rhododendrons and a few from the aquilegia that are beginning to set seeds now, although there are plenty of flowers on them yet. Both the flowers and the seedheads are good subjects for photography.

In the afternoon, Scamp treated us to a glass of Pimms and dinner tonight was another variation on Neil’s Chicken Rice. This was the third meal we’ve had from the chicken we bought on Sunday!

The sprinkles of rain we got wasn’t as heavy, nor as long lasting as we’d hoped, but the weather fairies are adamant that there will be heavy and more prolonged rain next week. Let’s hope they have it right this time.

No real plans for tomorrow.

Back to the heat again – 20 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

After a respite from the heat yesterday, today it was back to the heat again.

The weather fairies keep telling us that rain is coming and that temperatures will return to the May norms, but unfortunately nobody has told the weather itself, yet. Today was another hot one, but there were signs later in the day that a change is coming. Cooler than it has been in the early evenings and a few more heavy, possibly rain bearing clouds crossing the sky. We live in hope.

I spent most of the morning writing and posting the blogs I’d just finished, along with the ones I’d collected the bare bones of from the weekend. It’s only Tuesday, but the weekend feels like it was ages ago.

We went shopping in the afternoon, just getting the bare essentials, but Scamp remembered we needed a couple of bags of cheap(ish) compost to fill up the potato bags and bucket. The warm weather really brought them on. Also, I remembered that they are Arran Victory.

Shopping done and after lunch, I put on a pair of shorts and went for a walk over to St Mo’s. PoD came from that walk and it’s an upside down spider. Google Images thinks it’s a Tetragnatha extensa, but I’m not sure it is. When I got back, Scamp had made a jug of Pimms with some apples and oranges chopped into it. Very welcome. Dinner was Neil’s Chicken Rice. I don’t know what the proper name for it is, and I don’t think Scamp knows either. It was as delicious as it usually is.

We watered the garden using watering cans tonight. I think we felt guilty about using a hose. There isn’t a hosepipe ban in force here yet, but the news folk keep banging on about it, so this is our contribution to the crisis.

No plans for tomorrow, yet.

 

Troosers – 19 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

I was looking for a cheap(ish) pair of walking trousers and came home with two!

In this month of excessive heat, I’d grown attached to a pair of walking trousers, lightweight Brasher ones I got in a sale in Tiso a few years ago. I’d forgotten just how comfortable these trousers were and also how versatile with a multitude of pockets of varying sizes.

We drove over to Tiso and only after rummaging around all the expensive ones and rejecting them because they didn’t feel as comfortable as my old lightweight Brashers did I eventually find only two pairs of Brashers in the bargain bin. One pair were size 30 (too small) and the other pair were size 40 (too big) . No Goldilocks trousers for me from Tiso.

Scamp stuck the address for Go Outdoors into the sat nav and we drove over to Coatbridge. There they did have exactly the trousers I was looking for and in two colours too. Nothing dramatic in the colour scheme, just either black or brown. Scamp suggested that it looked like the trousers were being withdrawn, I should take advantage of the cheaper price and buy both pairs. That seemed like a sound investment, so that’s what I did.

Now I just need a decent pair of trainers to complete my ensemble or maybe I should just be grateful that I’ve got a pair of trousers that look like they’ll fit me.

Drove home and Scamp made chicken and mushroom pasta for dinner. Usually my creation, but on this occasion, I let her have her head and she did produce a good filling meal.

Spoke to Hazel later and heard that Tilly’s leg seems to be ok after her x-ray which is a weight of their shoulders, and Tilly’s too I expect.

PoD was a sunset, taken from the house. I was quite impressed with it.

No plans for tomorrow as yet.

Flying Things – 15 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Another bright sunny morning, although the breeze was cold, despite the temperature being 13 point something degrees, according to the old thermometer in the house.

I just had enough time to tackle Wordle although Scamp had already started into the more complicate of the NYT puzzles. Then it was time to get dressed properly for the drive to Glenburn for today’s Tea Dance. A smaller than normal group with quite a few folk calling off, probably because of the good weather.

It was the usual fare, starting with a waltz. We tried hard to work out the steps of Waltz Nioli, but got as far as the first half dozen steps before it all fell to pieces. We eventually gave up and started a wee short nameless Waltz that Kirsty had taught the class fairly recently. That worked, but it was a lot shorter than Nioli.
Next Stewart called for a Jive routine, any jive routine. We danced the Seven Spins we’d learned with Michael, all those years ago – before Covid, that’s how long ago. A couple of sequence dances later and it was nearly tea time with a fairly lengthy chance for a blether.

Second half was more sequence than ballroom, with a few well known sequences and also a few we’d almost, but not quite forgotten. As the clock was just past 3pm we decided that if the next one was worth dancing, we do it, otherwise we’d drive home. The next one turned out to be the Ria Bachata, but not to real Bachata music, so we said our goodbyes and drove home.

An almost non-stop drive from Glenburn, over the Kingston Bridge and home. Not the best drive time we’ve had, but the wheels were turning all the way. That’s very unusual on a Thursday afternoon.

Back home, Scamp was having a rest in the garden and I was going over to St Mo’s to see if any of the dragonflies and damselflies were coming out to play. Well, the dragonflies were, but I only saw one damselfly and it was keeping a low profile in and out of the weeds by the side of the pond. Keeping out of reach of the dragonflies that were patrolling the pond looking for easy takings.

I walked round the pond then went back the other way. Sometimes that gives you a different view of the park. Today I followed a wee butterfly with strange markings and got a shot or three of it. Next a damselfly came past and attached itself to a nearby leaf. Another half a dozen frames made sure I’d a photo of that too. Finally as I was walking home I spotted a bedraggled Crane Fly (AKA Jenny Long Legs in Scotland) was dangling from a trio of Horsetails, the prehistoric perennial plants. That became PoD.

Dinner tonight, just for a change was pasta with a rich tomato sauce. Very nice it was too. I made it!

We watered the garden later when the sun was going down. Scamp did the front and I did the back, despite warnings on the BBC to the effect that water shortages may mean a hosepipe ban. It’s just meant to scare us and we’re not listening!

Tomorrow Scamp may go to FitSteps in the morning. I have no plans.

Where has the sun gone? – 14 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Woke this morning to grey skies and a mistiness all around. Wondering what suddenly happened to Spring.

Scamp was out in the morning for a catch-up with the rest of the witches. (For ‘catch-up’ read ‘blether’). That left me with a morning to fill.

A little reading filled part of the time and a bit of shopping filled another part. It had been recommended to me that I should perhaps get my hair cut, or tidy it up at least. I took these suggestions onboard and drove over to one of the many barbers. For the first time in ages I had to wait to get my locks shorn. Usually there are plenty of hairdressers lurking in the back shop, but not today. They must all have been making the most of the sunshine that had appeared around lunch time. Job done and £10 lighter of pocket I drove home.

Not long afterwards I got a call from Scamp to say that she was ready to be collected. I drove up to the new retail park and we went shopping there for some beer and cakes. I’d bought the sensible bread and bananas earlier for my lunch, but I didn’t complain about these extra essentials.

I couldn’t really be bothered with walking over to St Mo’s today, so took some photos in the garden. I pulled up the ‘whirly’ clothes pole and that gave me the much wider view of the garden I’d been looking for. Later, with the clothes pole replaced, I took some close-ups of the Golden Torch rhododendron flowers. Its name says “Golden Torch”, but it looks pink and white to me. Scamp tells me it will change from pink to yellow later in the flowering period. Those flowers got PoD.

Dinner tonight was pasta with the remainder of the orange and rhubarb jelly as dessert. Delicious with a dollop of ice cream. (The jelly, not the pasta).

Tomorrow we may be going to a tea dance.

A lazy start to the day – 13 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

A lazy start for me, that is. Scamp was already up and pouring her first coffee well before I broke surface.

It was another warm day. Quite breezy, and maybe that was what cleared the morning clouds away. It was just over 13ºc when I raised my weary head.

After lunch, Scamp started building a frame to encourage her sweet peas to start climbing. She has already planted out two areas of climbing frames for them. This one might be the final one for this year.

I went for a walk in the afternoon with the correct combination of camera and lens. I was hoping for some shots of damselflies. I had managed to capture one a few days ago and had seen some flying around the pond yesterday. However, there were only a very few in the air and those were in the centre of the pond and flying low. The reason soon appeared in the shape of a Four Spotted Chaser and it was living up to its name today, chasing every flying insect it could find. I admit, I went a bit over the top with almost 50 shots of the dragonflies taken. They were hacked down to a more realistic number in the first cull. I think the sun had gone to my head. Still, it was the first dragonfly of the year, that’s my excuse.

Dinner tonight was Fragrant Prawn Rice Noodle Salad. A bit of a mouthful and a bit tricky to scale down from four servings to two, but it tasted fine, but was a bit difficult to eat. I think we may have another try at it later in the summer all, being well. Orange and Rhubarb jelly for dessert and it was delicious.

After dinner I watered the veg in the garden. The kale looks a bit dried out and so do the leeks. I’m hoping to get started earlier to morrow and get the rest of the kale and leeks planted. Weather looks set fair for the next week at least. Great for sitting reading in the sun and for sunbathing, but the garden will be taking a beating unless we get rain soon.

By the way, Happy Birthday, Neil!

Tomorrow Scamp is intending to meet up with the other witches and I may be working in the garden.

Shooting the breeze – 9 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

In the morning, Scamp was out to FitSteps and I was having a lazy half hour start to the day.

When she returned, Scamp and I had a late breakfast or an early lunch, either way we had some food, then we did some gentle rearranging of the pots in the garden

In the afternoon while Scamp was out soaking up some rays in the front garden, I spent half an hour and more talking to Fred. I’m amazed just how long it’s been since we last had a conversation, just shooting the breeze and putting the world to rights. I really should phone my old pals more often, and if they’re not responding to a call, at least send them an update text. It’s those things that keep us together.

By then the sun had moved round the sky or perhaps the world had turned and Scamp wandered round to the back garden, because that’s where the sun was hiding now. I changed into a pair of shorts on my milk bottle white legs and took the A7iii with a Sigma 105mm for a walk over to St Mo’s seeking some insect life, only to be disappointed because the insects were also sunning themselves somewhere else. I eventually settled on some shots of a dandelion with only four little parachutes clinging to its take-off plate ready to fly away on a gentle breeze. my favourite one got PoD. Yes, it is a bit of a cliché, but clichés have a place too.

When I returned, I was coaxed into planting out a row of Curly Kale and a pot of Leeks. My only contribution to the gardening work for the day, apart from chopping down some dangerous looking thorny roses.

After dinner which was Cabbage, Bacon and New Potatoes with Scamp substituting an egg for the bacon, we sat watching the sun go down behind the trees and the houses. We could have stayed longer, but it was becoming decidedly cool by then.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to go dance class at Brookfield.

Going to Paisley – 8 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Heading to Glasgow to meet Alex for a photo-walk on a bright, hot Spring day.

I got the bus to the Greenfaulds, crossed the road and got the X25 to Glasgow. It’s a complicated way to travel, but because of roadworks with three way lights on the outskirts of Cumbersheugh, it’s actually quicker to travel this way.

We went to Caffè Nero first, as usual and discussed places to go. I suggested Paisley for a conducted tour round the Abbey and he agreed. Got the train to Paisley Gilmour Street and wandered down to the Abbey. Bought tickets and as we only had an hour until the tour started, we went looking for food.

Went to the Ugly Duck, our usual haunt in Paisley. Food was slow in coming, but we just managed to wolf it down (a Hoagie for me and a Club Sandwich for Alex) before we quick-marched to the Abbey, just as the lady was reading the intro.

Quite an interesting tour that lasted just over an hour. Her delivery was quite good and heavy on the history of the church. Also, she was good at picking out points of interest as we were walking around what’s actually a Church of Scotland building now.

When we left, we sat and talked to a bloke who had been making 360º movies with a fancy camera on a 3m pole, then he got talking to Alex about short wave radio and I was lost.

I wanted to photograph an engraved pavement I’d found a few years ago. I did eventually find it, but it looked as if it had some of its lettering. I must go and find the original photos I’d taken to see if I was in the correct place.

PoD went to wide angle shot of Paisley Town Hall reflecting on the White Cart Water it stands beside. I was shocked to find, when I got home that I’d only taken 27 shots. Only 27! That’s a travesty!!

We got the train back to Glasgow and had another coffee before heading back to our homes.

A seat in the sun while Scamp told me all the work she’d done on the garden while I was off galavanting with my brother. She really is the power in the garden. Me, I’m just the labourer. She does all the clever stuff, although she will tell you otherwise. We had a wee G&T (Scamp) and a wee dram (Me) to round off the day.

Tomorrow the powerhouse that is Scamp is intending to go to FitSteps in the morning. I have no idea what we’ll be doing in the afternoon