Category: St Mo’s

A lazy start to a warm day – 28 June 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Not nearly as warm as it was down south.

The weather fairies had warned us of gusty winds and they were right. I think Scamp did two lots of washing, something that wouldn’t be allowed on a Sunday in stricter times. We didn’t go far. One of those occasions when a walk in the park was made more pleasant with a bit of a breeze.

I went for a walk in St Mo’s in the afternoon not really expecting any insect life in the winds and wasn’t surprised. What I did see was a snail crossing my path. It seemed to lose the grip on the dusty soil and rolled over its shell, then just continued on its way, as if nothing had happened. There’s a moral for us all there somewhere.

At lunch we watched Victoria Derbyshire go full “Laura K” of a couple of unsuspecting politicians. That was a nice line in sarcasm, Ms D! Laura would be proud of you.

We had a single chicken thigh in the fridge, but with the addition of a handful of prawns, some chicken stock and and a handful of rice I managed to stumble through the making of a Paella that really did taste good. My best for a long time.

We watched the Austrian GP in the early evening and saw some crazy driving. Not the most riveting race we’d ever seen, but it had its moments.

Spoke to Jamie in the evening and heard about the ‘heat wave’ they had been having down south, and were glad we had that cool breeze keeping our temperatures down. Even poor Vixen was looking for somewhere to lie low and cool down.

I’m hoping to get a lift to Glasgow to get my hair cut, if Scamp will run me to the station. Other than that, no great plans.

Dancin’ – 27 June 2026

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For the first time in ages, we drove through some busy traffic to go to the dance class in Brookfield.

There were only four couples taking part and the topics were mainly quite easy, easy enough for me to manage them. We started with House of Bamboo then the Feta Foxtrot, The Britannia Waltz, The Salsa Gibraltar (which was new to us and not a real salsa), the Electric Slide (which I ‘Elected’ not to take part in) and we finished up with the Bossa Nova. Quite a full dance card.

The heat in the hall was quite stifling for a while, even with the front door and back door open. The floor was a mess. It looked as if some folk had been dragging chairs and tables across it and leaving a bit of a mess. I’m sure the teachers will be putting in a complaint.

It as raining when we came out of the dance class. I was glad to have brought my rain jacket and Scamp had her umbrella. More busy traffic heading back to the city. It must be something to do with the school holidays starting. However, by taking a few shortcuts we managed to avoid a lot of the traffic.

The weather at home was quite clammy and generally uncomfortable. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a cooler breeze. Scamp was doing a bit of weeding in the afternoon and I took the opportunity to ask her how I needed to go about changing my old credit card for the new regime. The way she explained it, made it look simple. I expect it is in reality. I just need to put it into practice now.

I went for a walk in the afternoon and got a fair amount of photos. My favourite was a combination of three shots of wild geraniums, merged together in Photoshop. After a struggle, I got it working and it looks pretty good.

We have no plans for tomorrow as far as I know.

It was a HOT one – 23 June 2026

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There was a blue sky with gentle mist running across the Campsie Fells this morning and that usually means it’s going to be hot.

And, it wasn’t wrong. The temperature was rising all morning with a great many warnings being issued to stay indoors if you can. That’s what we did after we’d opened all the windows..

Later in the afternoon, I drove down to Tesco to get some fruit and to pick up the meds for Scamp and myself. By then it was lunch time and we watched more horror stories splashed with red to impress upon us that it was going to be hot. We weren’t at the actual Red Warning and, spoiler, the temperature didn’t actually reach the Red Warning level. I think the weather fairies were a bit disappointed.

While Scamp was doing some washing, I was hanging pictures. About a year and a half ago we painted the bedroom and this was us just getting round to putting the paintings back up again. Sometimes life does seem to go quite slowly when you’re both retired!

Photos back in their places, I went for a walk in St Mo’s, looking for dragonflies because the heat really does bring them out. It was definitely Shorts and Tee Shirts weather. Got quite a few dragons soaking up some rays while Scamp sat in the garden and read. I was exhausted when I completed my usual circuit of the pond and a couple of beers helped cool us down.

In the evening and after dinner we took turns at watering the garden. One doing the front garden and the other doing the back. It’s a really relaxing task, watering the garden with a hose. Something to do with the susurration of the water hitting the leaves of the plants, I assume.

PoD went to a dragonfly which clung to a dried reed and stared straight at me, or at least that’s what it felt like. As is often the case with dragonflies, I wonder if it’s sizing me up or I’m sizing it up. I really don’t want to know the answer!!

Scamp’s hoping to go out with the Witches tomorrow. I may find somewhere calm to go.

Keeping up with business – 22 June 2026

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In the morning we drove to Falkirk to sign some pieces of paper.

In fact we had to sign six different pieces of paper each. In the end I was beginning to get writer’s cramp! Still it was worthwhile and we felt a lot better after it was done.

After all that writing we thought we deserved a coffee, so we drove to Morrison’s for a coffee each. Scamp suggested we also have a cake each to celebrate. Her’s was a teacake and mine was a jam doughnut. Then we simply loaded up a trolley and pushed it back to the car. But not before we stopped to have a look at a trio of ceramic garden pots. So, we added them to the car boot and headed home.

It was just beginning to drizzle with rain as we were leaving the car park. It had been threatening to rain all morning so we were prepared for it. A totally different day from yesterday.

By the time we got home we had driven out of the rain clouds, but the skies were still heavy with more rain. We had lunch and decided what our next job was. It was mainly planning. Deciding which plants needed to move and which ones would stay. Also we were beginning to see which ones preferred shaded areas and which wanted to be in the sunshine.

Later in the afternoon I went for a walk in St Mo’s. Not a long walk, just a chance to see if there were any interesting insects appearing now that the weather was improving. There were a few dragonflies scudding round the pond, but the most interesting one was a Scorpionfly. It looks like a Scorpion with wings. Vicious looking with what looked like a sting in its tail, but harmless to humans (or so say’s Mr Google).

Scamp was going out tonight to a dance demonstration. Not Ballroom Dancing, more modern dance. She and the rest of the witches were going to cheer the girls on.  Also, as promised, the rain disappeared and the sun came out!

PoD went to the Scorpionfly, by a long way. High on the checklist was a Heron. A rare visitor now to the pond!

Alas, Keir Starmer’s job has come to an end. He resigned today. I admit I wasn’t impressed by him, but I almost felt sorry for him today.

We have no plans for tomorrow … yet!

Fathers’ Day – 21 June 2026

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It was so good to feel the sun on my back today. What a difference a couple of days makes.

Spoke to Hazy in the morning and discussed books, little foxes and general garden stuff. Also having to keep the curtains closed to stop the room getting too hot. Hope you managed to get some sleep during the afternoon, Hazy.

Scamp and I went for a walk to the shops in the morning. Scamp was in charge of the fruit and veg for tonight’s dinner. I was in charge of getting the ice cream. Walking back to the house I just knew I was over dressed for the day. Shorts and Tee shirt would be better than jeans and a jersey.

And so it was that in the afternoon I went for a walk in St Mo’s and got a photo of some ‘Big Daisies’. I never did know their proper name, but my mum always called them ‘Big Daisies’ and that name stuck. One of those photos made PoD.

Scamp and I sat in the garden when I got back and discussed what we’d like to do with the front garden to improve the colours. We didn’t come to a conclusion as we couldn’t quite agree on who had the best ideas.

Today was Fathers’ Day and I was allowed to have anything I wanted for dinner. I settled for Mince ’n’ Tatties. Scamp makes the best mince and tatties anywhere that’s why I chose it as my favourite. I had extra cabbage and beetroot too. (Sorry Jamie)

I spoke to Jamie later in the evening and heard about the open gardens plots that are opened to any gardeners in the vicinity. One of today’s groups actually had a live quartet playing in one of the gardens. That’s an idea for you and Simonne for next year, Jamie.

Tomorrow we’re off to Falkirk in the morning to do some signing and shopping. Hope it’s a bit cooler.

 

 

Flowers and Beasties – 20 June 2026

Posted on by Zogman

I was just looking through my June catalogs today and out of 20 photos in the month of June, 16 were of plants or insects. I think I need to get out more.

Last night we had planned to go to Edinburgh today. We were going to do a part of the Water of Leith Walk. We’d looked at the maps and checked the weather and everything seemed to be fine. We agree to get the train to Croy this morning then get another train to take us to the start of the walk. Continue along the walk then rejoin the road to Edinburgh after that. Unfortunately, we slept in and by the time we’d had breakfast it was realistically too late to do the walk. Maybe another day.
Then we read today’s news that a topless man was wandering around the streets of Leith with what looked like a knife in his hand. I’m glad we slept in today.

Today’s walk took me over to St Mo’s in the sunshine. I was looking for dragonflies, but there weren’t any about. There were plenty of damselflies, mainly Common Blues, but none of their big brothers and sisters. I settled for some Blues, but the PoD went to a Flag Iris with a snail sheltering under its leaf.

Dinner tonight was going to be fish & chips from Condorrat, but in the end we settled for a home-made version which was very, very good. Excellent fish made by our resident chef. Although I must admit that my culinary skills were called upon to ‘Flip the Fish’. I think that was what improved the taste of the fish.

For the first time in ages we got to sit in the garden with a glass of something and a good book until the clouds crowded in. Not a bad day after yesterday.

No plans for tomorrow.

The wanderers return – 15 June 2026

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Jamie and Simonne returned from their mountain climbing today.

In the morning we drove down to M&S. We’d usually just walk to the shops, but today we had quite a lot of food to bring back, so taking the car seemed to be the sensible thing to do.

Jamie had predicted that they would arrive back to ours by about 3pm. As usual, he was almost exactly correct, unloading the car at five minutes past three! You can always rely on him to get an accurate time check!

Back home and after lunch I went for a walk in St Mo’s. There wasn’t much of interest today, but I did manage to capture a nicely ball shaped Queen Anne’s Lace or Wild Carrot and that made PoD.

Dinner was all about soup and pizzas. Tomato soup and three different varieties of pizza. One large, thick rectangular one, one really hot and spicy one and an oval, thin one. Pizzas to suit everyone and almost all of them consumed while we talked at the dining table.

We talked for a while in the evening, exchanging ideas for the rest of the summer and hearing more about the walks the pair had done on Arran and the people, good and bad, they had met. Eventually it was time for the youngsters to head off to bed, and it wasn’t much later for us to do the same.

I think we’ll have an early rise tomorrow.

 

A warmer day – 14 June 2026

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A dry and a warm day. I didn’t do very much but Scamp was busy in the garden for most of the morning.

Later, she heard from a neighbour that Aldi was selling trays of Dahlias at a knock-down price, so off we trotted to the shops and came home with a bag of cocktails, a bottle of beer and the dahlias. The flowers looked good and they are now happily ensconced in the garden. I just hope the slugs don’t manage to sniff them out.

After lunch I went for a walk. While Scamp took advantage of the gentle warm breeze to hang out some washing, knowing that it was extremely unlikely to rain.

In St Mo’s, a single dragonfly was circling the pond. I think it was one of the Four-Spotted Chasers that I saw earlier in the week. Just in case it flew away, I grabbed a couple of shots, for the record. Apart from that, there wasn’t much to see, but it was good to get out in the warm, without a raincoat.

On the way home from my walk, I managed to get a couple of shots of a Wild Geranium, just coming in to flower and that made PoD.

Dinner tonight was Tomato Soup, Tuna steak with potatoes and Cavolo Nero Kale, and some of Jamie’s Rhubarb stewed at home. A lovely dinner.

Watched the Spanish GP saw Hamilton win his first race for Ferrari. I’m still not clear on what was happening to Antonelli on track, when he had to retire his car. Maybe he’d been bad, and that was his punishment.

No plans for tomorrow.

Training – 13 June 2026

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Today we went for a run to Stirling.

Drove to the station and left the car there. Then got a train to Stirling. At the station I bumped into a former pupil. I don’t know who was more embarrassed, her or me!. Thankfully she was going in the opposite direction to us.

An easy journey to Stirling, but the first time in ages we were only going for the run. No shopping in Waitrose, no driving through multiple roadworks, just a day out. We stopped at a coffee shop for refreshments before we walked into the centre of the town.

When we arrived in the centre of Stirling a military band was marching and playing in the town. We were just too late to see them, but you couldn’t miss the sound of the band and later the bagpipes. It was good of them to put on a show just for Scamp and me.

We wandered round the shops and Scamp got one bargain and I got another. Unfortunately the jeans I’d picked had drainpipe trousers and were far too tight on me. They will go back tomorrow, hopefully and I’ll get the proper jeans for me.

Lunch was a panini and a coffee in Nero, followed by a walk through the mall in the town. I nearly bought a book but held back because I’m already reading one and have two others on the side. Stirling seemed a dull and dowdy today. The weather didn’t help with constant drizzle, but it wasn’t all about the weather. So many closed shops don’t give a good look to a town.

Got the train back to the station and picked up the car, then drove home. We watched a less than exciting Spanish GP. Maybe it will liven up when the race proper runs tomorrow.

Spotted today’s PoD on a nettle and thought it was some new caterpillar, but it turned out to be Nettle Rust Fungus. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.

I actually enjoyed viewing Stirling from a different direction. Good to see some of the ‘old’ shops like the bike shops on the main street are still there and flourishing.

No plans for tomorrow.

Lunch – 10 June 2026

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Our visitors were off the mark quite early this morning. Thankfully they didn’t interrupt our beauty sleep!

A lazy start to a day that didn’t quite know what to do with itself. One minute it was pelting down with rain and the next the sun was splitting the trees.

Scamp drove over to Shona’s house and brought her over to ours. We were booked for lunch in the afternoon. At a new restaurant, at least, it was new to us. The food was OK, just ok, as far as I was concerned. The starter was Rosemary Focaccia allegedly with side plates of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), nor Balsamic. However the Pesto, Nduja and Sugo Dips saved the day. Neither of us could find any EVOO, just dry bread.
The mains were much better. Risotto with king prawns, cherry tomatoes and roasted red peppers was great, according to Scamp and Shona quickly cleared a large plate of Spaghetti alla Carbonara. My Penne all ‘Amatriciana wasn’t just spicy, it was on fire!
Scamp and I had three flavours of ice cream and Shona had Sicilian Bombolini which looked interesting. Like an upmarket Italian churros.
All in all it wasn’t at all bad. Food service was slow and some of the drinks were a bit overpriced. Alcoholic drinks vastly overpriced. Would I go back. Probably, but in a few weeks, when they iron out some of the problems.

When we got back home, Scamp and Shona had great fun watching the videos Jamie had created earlier in the week.

I went out to leave them to it and walked over St Mo’s in the rain. I discovered that a ‘bunnet’ is a great thing for keeping the rain off you. PoD went to a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee on a Marsh Cinquefoil.

No plans for tomorrow because the walkers will be on Arran. We may go looking for trainers for me.