Category: photography

Another wet day – 2 January 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Another day when it never really stopped raining.

It wasn’t a day for doing much. I didn’t go out to take any photos, because it was raining and there seemed to be little point in getting wet when I didn’t have a subject in mind.

Instead, I took a tabletop shot. My subject today was a Sarracenia plant. It’s a carnivorous pitcher plant and quite a small one. It feeds on insects that fall into the liquid at the bottom of the funnel shaped ‘leaves’. I had a bigger variety last year that was happy to grow outside, even in winter. It survived temperatures down to -10ºc. Unfortunately the drought in June 2023 was too much for this bog plant. I’m being more careful with this slightly more delicate one.

As usual, the actual photos took about half an hour to take and a couple of hours to process. But I was fairly happy with the result.

Dinner tonight was Potato, Cabbage and Bacon. An old favourite with both of us, of course, Scamp doesn’t eat the bacon. We watched Sing 2 The second in what might become a series of comedy digital cartoons. Not much of a story line, really, but made up for it with the excellent dialogue. I laughed and so did Scamp, so it was a winner.

After dinner I struggled for a good two hours trying to get Word and Excel to speak to each other, but eventually gave up. I think I’ll cancel my free 30 day subscription before it runs out. Even worse, It looks like my old Toshiba laptop may be on its last legs. I got a message tonight ti say that there was a problem with the cooling system and to shut down immediately. Immediately is not a word the Tosh understands. Immediately usually means an arthritic ten minute wait. I’ll leave it to cool down gently tonight and see what can be done about it tomorrow.

No real plans for tomorrow. Scamp is booked for coffee in the morning with Isobel. I’ve got a visit to the nurse in the afternoon to see how my BP is doing now that I’ve reduced my meds a bit. I’ve a set of results ready to bamboozle her with my Excel skills!

… a new one just begun – 1 January 2024

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A new day and a new year. I wonder what it will bring.

The weather was fine today and we were going for a walk. Not driving out for a walk as I’d intended. Scamp though a walk nearer to home would be better. We walked down to Broadwood loch where there were more than the usual amount of photogs, all carrying some heavy duty glass. I had the A6500 with short and very short lenses. One of the photogs asked if I was there to photograph the Smew (pronounced Sm you). I told him “No” then he proceeded to tell me that a smew is a small white diving bird with strong black patterns and a white crest. I’d heard of it, but not being a ‘twitcher’, I wasn’t really interested, but he seemed quite excited about it. Then I recognised him. He used to teach at the same school as me, long time ago. I let him go and put the camera back in my bag in case someone else would give us more directions to the best smew spotting places.

We walked over the dam and round the exercise machines. First time I’ve been there for ages, not since last year in fact 🙂 . Then up past the shops, all of which were closed, but some had lights on inside. Scamp guessed that they were taking down the Christmas decorations and getting the Easter eggs in. I think she might be right. I had a few shots in the bag, so we walked back home.

Lots of computer stuff to do at the end of a month. Photos to move into long term storage disks and catalogs to, well, catalog! All just the housekeeping that computers don’t do for themselves. I started it and let it run while Scamp made Scrambled Egg with Smoked Salmon. Very nice. We had it on toast after I cleaned out the toaster and then managed to remove some charred remains of long gone bread from the inside. It actually worked after that. Perfectly happily toasting bread, too lightly, but that’s not a problem. Maybe there was some bread crumbs in the electromagnet and my shaking and poking got rid of it, or maybe it was just a lucky day when it felt like working. Anyway, we had toast.

Dinner tonight was a strange but interesting cooked mix of veg for Scamp and a very nice sirloin steak for me. Both washed down with a glass of Merlot courtesy of Jamie & Simonne. Thank you both.

PoD turned out to be a photo of some gulls looking for that Smew!

No plans for tomorrow, yet, but I’m sure we’ll find something to do!

 

 

Another year over – 31 December 2023

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Well, almost over.

The day started with a visit to Currys in Coatbridge to get photo paper and a chance to browse the shelves for a new toaster. The one we have must be about 20 years old and has worked well, but lately it’s been struggling to hold the bread carrier against the force of the spring. I reckon it’s an electromagnet that either has crumbs or dust on its contact, or the wiring in it is getting weak and cannot pull the full magnetic force. If it’s dust, the portable hoover might just manage to clear it. If it’s the coil in the electromagnet, it’s beyond my ability to repair. The prices Currys were asking for a fairly ordinary toaster were in places eye watering. Who pays £200 for a toaster? I got the photo paper, but the toaster will have to wait until Tuesday at least, when the shops re-open.

We drove home and Scamp encouraged me to go out and take some photos before the light started to fail. That would be a sensible thing to do. After all, this was the last day in 2023 and a decent photo for PoD was compulsory. It arrived in the shape of an old park bench in St Mo’s. The bench is made of recycled plastic, but it has lichen growing on it. It must be something that’s added to the plastic mix when bulk it up or maybe to strengthen it. Surely ordinary lichen wouldn’t grow on pure plastic. I must ask a scientist some time. The photo wasn’t impressive when I took it, but separating it into its constituent parts made it a lot easier to work with and I was happy with the result.

Spoke to Jamie and heard that the weather down south was much better than we’ve been having. Hope Vixen’s leg improves soon.

I think that’s all for 2023. I believe 2024 is approaching rapidly, so I should really draw this last blog of 2023 to a close. I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.

 

Frost then Snow – 30 December 2023

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We woke to thick frost over everything, but no snow.

The weather forecast device we have in the living room was predicting snow and the sky was the right colour for it. We reckoned it was only a matter of time until the white stuff started falling. Just about 11am the first flakes appeared, think and whisky, but soon they fattened up and when the wind caught them they started filling the sky. First snow we’ve seen falling since about February. We’ve woken to snow lying about a month ago, but this is the first time in months since we’ve seen it falling.

According to the weather fairies, the snow wouldn’t last, but would be replaced by sleet and then rain. It took a bit longer than we’d anticipated for that to happen, but after lunch I thought I could safely bundle up and go for a walk and hopefully some pictures in St Mo’s. The first shot I took turned out to be the PoD. It was a couple of folk walking home in the snow carrying their shopping. I liked the sky and the shape of the photo. I got about another twenty shots, but the snow was indeed melting now and it was slippery underfoot. Not from ice, but because the snow was lying on sodden ground and it tended to slide away from my feet as I was walking. I was glad to get home into a warm house when I’d done what I intended to do. By then the road up past the house was almost clear and slushy.

When I got home, Scamp was half way through a cartoon film, ‘Sing’. I usually can’t stand these digital cartoons, but this one was funny. Lots of one liners and smart comments. I watched it through from where I entered the story and could see why Scamp found it entertaining. We’ve lined up ‘Sing 2’ for the next dull afternoon.

Dinner tonight was to be Paella. Dead simple as long as you’re organised and I was. It turned out almost right. Rice could maybe have done with another five minutes cooking, but that would be nit picking. Watched the second semifinal of Christmas University Challenge. We’re leaving the final for tomorrow night.

That was it for a cold wet day. The snow was good for me. It gave me different challenges for photography and although I only took a few shots, I was happy with the three I short listed.

No real plans for tomorrow. We think we have everything we need as far as food is concerned, but if the weather is good to us, we may go for a walk somewhere local.

Off east to see the horses – 29 December 2023

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I’d promised Scamp an afternoon at the Kelpies and I hate to disappoint her.

So we drove over to Helix Park in Falkirk where the Kelpies live. It started off as a beautiful day, but by the time we got there, the clouds were rolling in. Paid for parking and walked over the canal bridge, then down the path beside the Forth & Clyde canal to admire the great beasts. I got a few photos as we were walking and we also passed the RE: Wild Thing which is an installation made from recycled bike parts made to represent the nature and wildflowers within the park. Very clever recycling (pun intended).

We crossed over the outfall of the canal and back to the main event, the Kelpies themselves. We both noticed that there were lights inside them today. I imagine they look quite impressive after nightfall. There was a small skating rink in the park, but I wasn’t intending going on the ice. I never did fancy ice skating. Thankfully there wasn’t much of a queue at the cafe and we could sit in relative comfort with our coffee and a scone, watching the folk taking selfies and group photos in front of the sculptures.

It was quite cold today and as the sky was clearing, it seemed to get even colder. Maybe that was because I knew the temperature was going to be sub zero tonight, or maybe the wind was stealing all the heat away.
We had one more walk round the horses and then walked back to the car, then drove home via Tesco for a couple of bags of messages. On the way back to the house I stopped at Fred’s house to hand in a Christmas/Birthday prezzy for him and a box of chocolates for Margo. Poor Fred’s birthday is on the 25th of December! He must have felt hard done by when he was younger, only getting one lot of prezzies!

We watched an entertaining Celebrity Masterchef. It’s not every day you’ll hear me saying that, but this one was special, because it was the food critics who were cooking for the previous winners of Masterchef. I don’t know how faked it was, but the celebs really did seem to be having a hard time getting things finished in the timescale. Worth looking for on iPlayer if only for the looks on the critics faces!

Dinner was a delicious Chicken Milanese. Chicken fillet battered flat with a rolling pin, coated in breadcrumbs and fried in the frying pan. Served with potatoes. A Scamp classic.

PoD was, of course The Kelpies, viewed from the other side of the canal from my usual place.

Tomorrow we might get some of the white stuff. Temperature is already -1ºc, right in the middle of the danger zone. Need to find our snow shovels perhaps.

Another diamond day – 27 December 2023

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Rain for most of the day.

We didn’t do very much for most of the day. Before lunch we started a clean out of the freezer more to see what we had than to do any serious defrosting. Along the way we found some dodgy stuff, like two pots of chicken stock that are now defrosting in the fridge, ready to make soup tomorrow perhaps. I also came upon a pack of chicken livers dated December – no year, just December. I don’t think it was December 2023. They are now defrosting in the bin. The thing we were looking for was a packet of breaded prawns that Scamp was sure was in the freezer, but we couldn’t find any evidence of them. A mystery.

After two pork sausage rolls for lunch, I walked down to the shops, to walk off the stodgy sausage rolls and to get bread and milk because we were running low on necessities. I was hardly out the door when I found today’s PoD. It’s a bunch of Rosehips at the corner house. The one that will always be Bobby Flavell’s. I just liked the bright red colour of them, even if a few were torn apart by the birds.

Those few photos were all I took today, but I did walk down to the shops and came back with milk and bread and also some raspberries for Scamp’s breakfast. It was Scamp’s turn for cooking today and she chose a couple of chicken fillets we’d found in the freezer and turned them into a Coconut Curry. It was very hot, I thought, although surprisingly Scamp said it was ‘alright’. I had mine with a bottle of Seven Giraffes which cooled my mouth down nicely as did the ice cream we had afterwards.

We watched a Celebrity University Challenge later and then the inevitable “Death in Paradise”. I’d been reading last year’s blog yesterday and had found I’d described it as “Tedious” and “a home for retired actors.” Not much has changed in a year. It’s still tedious with a few out of workers still cluttering up the unrivalled scenery. That’s all we watch it for, really. Just something to remind us that there are places where the sun shines almost every day.

The rain did stop tonight around 8pm, but only for a while. It’s raining again now and I’m sure it will rain tomorrow too. I’m intending to meet Alex to take some photos and also to have some lunch. I’m not expecting to take many photos in Glasgow.

That’s more like it! – 26 December 2023

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We woke to a beautiful sunrise, but cold. Just 1ºc.

John next door was struggling to walk down the path because yesterday’s rain had frozen and the pavements were a sheet of ice. Also, he had an infection in his foot and was having to walk with two sticks. I gave him a bit of support down as far as his door. I was worried incase he fell because he’s a big bloke and I wasn’t sure I could have lifted him. However, he got home.

Knowing just how icy it was out there, We weren’t all that happy about going for a walk, but later in the day after tomato soup and croutons for lunch, we risked a walk round St Mo’s. It didn’t feel all that cold, probably because there was no wind. I know Scamp isn’t too impressed with St Mo’s, so I suggested we extend the walk out of the park and down towards the shops, but bypassing them down to the underpass and back home from there. That seemed to be the correct direction and distance for her. Back home it was coffee time for Scamp and cocoa for me.

Tonight I was making dinner and it was Smoked Haddock and Leek Risotto. The leeks in the fridge had seen better days, so I lifted a couple of our ones. Not very thick, but long enough to make up for their lack of girth. The risotto turned out a bit thinner than usual, but passed the taste test with both of us. The addition of a few prawns didn’t do any harm to the mixture either.

I had taken a total of three photos today. That must be worlds worst record for me. And that was on a bright day! PoD was a girl walking her dog along the path I always scour for potential subjects. A bit of Lightroom and Photoshop did wonders to the originally dull photo.

It looks like it’s back to rain again tomorrow. I can’t say I’m surprised, or delighted. We may need some messages some time tomorrow no matter how wet it gets from Storm Gerrit.

And so this is Christmas

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“… and what have you done:”

Christmas is such a strange time of year. Just after the equinox we, in the northern hemisphere, are looking for signs that the days are lengthening, while those in the southern half of the globe are preparing for autumn. It’s the same every year, but it still makes me think of John Lennon’s song. It’s a mixture of hope and sadness.

We had almost an hour’s worth of Zoom time with Hazy, Jamie, Neil and Simonne (alphabetically arranged – fairest way!). It was great to speak to and see everyone and to find out how everybody was getting on. Zoom is a great way of keeping in touch. I felt a bit down after the call was finished. The house seemed a bit empty, that’s the only way I can put it.

I had some lovely presents from everyone and Scamp’s “12 Days of Christmas” with a small present to open every day is a great idea. We tried not to spend too much on each other this year. In the past we’ve gone overboard, but that’s not what Christmas is about.

After a light lunch the rain that had been torrential for most of the morning just disappeared and left us with blue skies and a bit of sunshine. I made the most of it and took the A7 out for a walk in St Mo’s. I also had a bag of wildbird seed in my pocket and left handfuls here and there along the side of the path. I took a few photos, but one of the first ones I took of the river, that was running down a path through the woods, got PoD.

Dinner was an overcooked steak for me and also overcooked salmon for Scamp. Dessert was individual trifles. I thought they were a delight. However I think I might need some Gaviscon tonight with all the overeating and a bit too much drinking too that I’ve done.

I think that’s enough for tonight. I’m off to bed now, so thank you all for a wonderful day. Thoroughly enjoyed it, hope you did too.

Speak soon.

No plans for tomorrow, but the weather looks like it might be improving.

A break in the clouds – 24 December 2023

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That’s what I was looking for today, a break in the clouds would be nice.

However, the reality was different. It was raining and it was dull and it felt, at 11am that it was already heading to evening. But Scamp had a suggestion. I’d said I fancied scrambled egg with smoked salmon for lunch. I knew we didn’t have any smoked salmon, so she said, let’s walk down to the shops and get some. That would force us to get out of the house for a while and we’d get some fresh air into the bargain. Plus, she said we could split up halfway home and she’d carry the messages while I walked over to St Mo’s to get a photo. Deal done.

For once M&S wasn’t too busy, especially on Christmas Eve that was unusual. We weren’t buying much, apart from the obvious smoked salmon. I thought we should get some milk, just a small bottle and Scamp said we needed baking potatoes for tonight’s dinner. We got that and other stuff as well and filled a basket, then walked home. For the first time ever there were two different people selling Big Issues outside a couple of the shops. The first one we encountered was a young teenager and further down someone we took for his father. We both agreed that we weren’t sure about them at all.

We walked back and just as we’d agreed I handed over the message bag to Scamp and I went on to walk round St Mo’s. The rain had stopped now and it was also a bit brighter. In fact the clouds were opening up and the sun was trying to break through. I got a few shots, but nothing I was really set on. Halfway round the the rain came on again and I walked home.

Scamp was hard at work making scrambled egg with chopped up bits of smoked salmon. My job was to coax the ancient, cantankerous toaster to do its job and gently burn the bread and turn it into toast, but it just wouldn’t do it. Eventually Scamp just pressed the lever on the toaster and it worked. Was this a case of great minds thinking alike? Perhaps.

After lunch I looked at the photos and they weren’t really worth keeping, but I kept them anyway, because I hadn’t anything else. Then as I was standing at the kitchen window I saw the birdbath, full of water and with a quarter of a brick in it to allow the smaller birds to drink if they needed it without being submerged in the deep water. Did I still have the wee old man Minifig figure? The wee old man with the fishing rod? After emptying a couple of boxes of dismembered Minifigs, I found what I was looking for and after three, or was it four sorties out into the garden? I had today’s PoD of a wee old man fishing in the birdbath. That’s what makes a PoD so attractive. It’s having to think round a problem and make it work.

Dinner was tomato soup which I’d made yesterday. Then a baked potato each, halved and the inside scooped out and mixed with leek, cheese and smoked haddock that had been poached in milk and with the milk added to the mixture to thin it down a bit. The lot was baked in the oven or the grill, I can’t remember which, but it was Scamp’s magic working again. It was really delicious.

That was about it for the day. We watched the Great Scottish Book Club (Christmas edition) and it was a mine of information. I bought Pink Floyd’s first album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, back in the late ‘60s. I learned tonight on the GSBC that the title derived from a reference to the god Pan in Wind in the Willows! Now I need to find out where the second album A Saucer Full of Secrets came from!

Tomorrow looks like a calmer day, but still with some rain. Hoping to do a Zoom call with the family.

We’re past the shortest day! – 23 December 2023

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That’s a reason to be cheerful!

I suppose the daylight must have lasted slightly longer than yesterday, but I can’t say I noticed. It was a dull day from start to finish and it rained all day just to increase the agony. I had no intention of going out in the cold, wind and rain just to get an outside photo, but it wasn’t until late in the evening I got the inspiration to find the PoD.

We could have walked down to the shops, but they would have been at maximum madness setting and we had no real need to go out, other than to be out of the house for a while. Instead, I made tomato soup with a kilo of tomatoes I’d reduced in the oven for an hour and a bit, a big bit!. Then Wordle occupied a few minutes of my time and Spelling Bee is still waiting for my response. It will still be waiting at midnight when it will offer a new challenge which I will probably ignore. Life’s too short to try to puzzle out seven letter words, especially Americanisms.

Dinner today was pasta. That added to my confusion. I could have sworn that today was Friday, but that disappeared into history yesterday, so I had to accept that today was, in fact, Saturday. It’s just that we normally have pasta on Monday and having it any other day in the week just upsets my internal clock. Anyway, today was “What’s in the fridge” with penne pasta. It passed muster with Scamp, although I thought it was a bit bland and needed the kick that chilli flakes might have added had I thought of it earlier.

It was some time after dinner that I chanced upon and idea for PoD. It’s a Troupie called Starman who amazed the critics when “… Played it left hand …” Just a Troupie, some star shaped battery powered lights and a spotlight from a hand held LED torch. It’s amazing the things you can dream up when you’ve only got a few hours before the cut-off. Anyway, PoD completed before midnight.

We watched “Guys and Dolls” tonight. Old fashioned American film dating from 1955. Just a bit of fun, but Scamp enjoyed the singing and dancing in it. I felt it was a bit too slow, but maybe that’s just me.

Tomorrow looks like a windy version of today, so not a lot to look forward to.