Category: St Mo’s

St Mo’s Twice – 21 November 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Once with company and one solo.

Lots of little things to do today, most of them completed.

Scamp and I went for a walk in St Mo’s in the morning. Just one circuit of the pond then back home. The light was poor, but I got a few photos. We walked home for lunch.

After lunch Scamp and I filled a planter with home made compost from the bin and Scamp planted nearly twenty mixed daffodil bulbs. We didn’t bother to water them in because we’re expecting that will be done by the rain clouds we are forecast to see tomorrow.

Later in the afternoon, when I expected it to get progressively darker, I was pleasantly surprised as the sun came out from behind the clouds. I didn’t need to be asked, I still had my boots on from the morning, so I trotted over to St Mo’s again and got more interesting photos than in the morning. Then I walked down to the shops to get some veg for tonight’s dinner.

Dinner tonight was Mince ’n’ Tatties with some cabbage. Scamp had Bubble and Squeak. It looked and smelled almost as good as my mince. Almost, but not quite!

We had a quick practise of the Quickstep, solved a problem with the Tango and had two runs through the Waltz Nioli. Hope I remember all the updates tomorrow.

When the living room was back looking normal again, we watched the semi-final of Bake Off. So now it’s down to three going in to the final next week.

PoD was a Rose Hip bush with vibrant orange leaves. Unfortunately you may have to wait until tomorrow to see it online as Flickr is having a hissy fit for the first time in months. Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water …

Tomorrow I’m expecting to go out in the morning, meeting Alex and Scamp is intending to be out in the afternoon for lunch with the Witches.

 

Just a normal Sunday – 19 November 2023

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A dull day with not a lot to recommend it weatherwise.

I spent most of the morning flicking through Flickr and for once enjoyed just looking through other folk’s pictures. I’m sure Scamp was doing Wordle and Spelling Bee, but I’d fallen out with both after Wordle had claimed that I hadn’t completed my 146th puzzle and sent me back to 1 again. I’ll not have that from these dastardly americans. I’ll just stop playing their stupid game and then they’ll be sorry.
I’ll start fresh tomorrow!

Lunch for me was bacon, egg, mushrooms, tomatoes and scorched Padron peppers. The only place I know I can get the peppers is Waitrose, so every time I go there I get a packet of them. Some of them are a bit hot, and there’s no way to tell if you’re going to get a hot one or a normal one. That makes them more interesting. Scamp had the more sedate egg, black pudding, mushrooms and tomatoes.

We watched what turned out to be a really interesting Las Vegas F1 GP. Lots of thrills and a few spills with the lead changing hands a few times before the inevitable happened and the world champion bullied his way to the front. As always it was the battle for 2nd and 3rd places that held the most interest and probably skill.

It was the first time the race had been held in Las Vegas and the lead up to it took more time than was really necessary, but I’m guessing it’s the American way to overload the race with the glitz and glamour. Because the race took so long to get started, it was late in finishing too and the light was beginning to fade when I finally walked over to St Mo’s for what I thought would be today’s PoD. As it happened, I got one landscape shot that was worth uploading, but PoD went to a grab shot I’d taken in the morning of a Rudbeckia flower in the garden. The plant has been flowering for about two months now and it’s survived high winds and torrential rain and is flowering still. While I was out in St Mo’s, Scamp was gardening, planting out some bulbs that will hopefully provide some much needed colour next spring.

I’d my apron on today to make my dinner. I’d bought a couple of short ribs at Waitrose and the recipe I was using said to brown them in a casserole for ten minutes. I knew I’d need a bit of protection from the spatter that would come from the fatty meat and I was glad of the protection the apron gave me. Then the meat had to rest while I made the slurry that would provide the base for it in the pot. Too many things to list here, but half a can of stout went into it too. Finally the meat went on top, the lid went on and it was set to cook for about 3 hours in the oven.

Scamp had chopped up onions, carrots and turnip and that made the veg part of the meal which we had with potatoes. I was too slow getting the meat roasted and the slurry made, consequently I had to cut the cooking time to two and a bit hours, but the meat was fine, and the veg went well with it. Scamp had a veggie version of the dinner and her’s seemed to be good too.

Spoke to Jamie later in the evening and heard about poor Vixen being upset having been in different kennels twice in a month. Poor thing wouldn’t know if she was coming or going. I’m sure she’ll settle down soon. Jamie and Simonne were meant to be doing a run today, but the weather was against it and Simonne wasn’t feeling well into the bargain, so they’d cancelled.

No real plans for tomorrow, although we need to get the CO2 monitor replaced before we get the boiler maintenance done. Also, I believe a visit to IKEA is on the cards for this week.

Friday lunch – 17 November 2023

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Today we were booked for lunch with June and Ian.

First, Scamp was off to FitSteps class and because the sun was shinning after a cloudy, dull, dodgy looking start, I went over to St Mo’s to get some photos.  There were some nice beech trees glowing away in the sunshine and they are always worth a few shots. With a couple in the bag  after my first circuit of the pond, I turned and went back the same way.  It’s amazing how different scenery looks from the other direction and so it was today.  The trees I saw going were so much better with the sun coming from a slightly different angle. Also some cow parsley seedheads were catching the sun and I hadn’t noticed them on the outward walk.  Best of all was a little vetch plant that had managed to trap a waterdrop in one of its tendrils.  That was going to be PoD.

As I was walking back, I realised that time was getting on and checking my watch I found that it was just after midday.  Scamp would be home soon and I needed to make tracks.  I was going to send her a message when I realised I didn’t have my phone.  I was pretty sure it was in the house, pretty sure but not definitely.  So I upped the pace and found the offending article where I’d left it next to the computer.  Not lost, not stolen, just strayed.

When Scamp came in we headed over to Condorrat to have lunch and a blether with June and Ian. Friday lunches had become a monthly occurance for us four last year. Usually the Red Deer was our go-to place, but today we were trying out Brodens again. We had been there two weeks ago and it passed muster. I’d was sure it would be the same today, and I was right.  Lots of folk in the restaurant, well, lots more than there was last time, but the food was just as good, as was the Guinness! I think the other two were quite happy with their food today and I’m sure we’ll be back again. Steak Pie for June and Ian, Fish ‘n’ Chips for Scamp and Gammon Steak for me.  What’s not to like?! We were there for a couple of hours and then Ian booked a taxi for June and him while we walked home.

The water drop got PoD, but another two kept it company in Flickr.

I actually watched and enjoyed a Masterchef tonight. That’s not something I say very often.

Only two couples wanted to go to dance class tomorrow (Saturday), Millie & Ronnie and us.  Scamp got the message about 9.30 tonight to say that the class was cancelled due to lack of numbers. I was quite happy with that.  If there had been a class, there would have been nowhere for me to hide!  Scamp was disappointed and I feel sorry for her.  We are regulars at the class and although I accept Stewart’s reason, I don’t think it would have hurt them to have run an hour long class for the four of us.

So, no dancing tomorrow, but Scamp wants to do some shopping and I’m looking for somewhere that sells single CO2 detectors.

A rather full day – 16 November 2023

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Lots of things to do and a tea dance in the middle.

Out in the morning. Dropped Scamp at Tesco then carried on to B&Q hoping to get a replacement for the CO2 alarm that packed in yesterday. Unfortunately, the only CO2 alarms they had were in double packets and I only needed one. They did have a single packet of CO2 alarms, but they were the same price as the double packet. Well, I didn’t expect anything better from B&Q. Drove back to Tesco and picked up Scamp and drove her home.

It was a bright autumn day and I was determined to get some decent shots with the new lens on the first decent day. I knew I only had an hour at the most to grab some images before driving to Glenburn for yet more dancing, so I couldn’t go far. So it was over to St Mo’s again to see if the colours would jump off the page for me, and thankfully they did.

The new lens didn’t let me down. Focus is quick and accurate. I’d little need today to resort to manual focus, but I’m getting used to the oddly placed focus ring and the A6500 did seem to lock on quite quickly. I still wasn’t sure about the edge sharpness or the corner detail, but a quick look when I got home was enough to assure me that Sigma had everything sorted. Time to put the dance shoes on.

It was a packed room today, but strangely, the floor wasn’t all that busy. We started with a Waltz Nioli and after a few mistakes I found my feet and rhythm and we had it beat. That might serve us well next week when Kirsty has promised a quick couple of tracks of that waltz to keep it in our heads and in our muscle memory. Next was Cha-Cha and we danced our version with very few errors. We were promised two Foxtrots next and I suggested we wait and dance the second one. But the second one turned into a Social Foxtrot, so disappointed, we danced that instead. That was almost the end of the ballroom dances and Stewart decided there weren’t enough folk dancing ballroom on the floor and announced that it would be sequence dances for the second half of the afternoon. A strange and poor decision in our eyes.

We danced a few of the sequence dances after the tea break, but I’d much prefer to attempt the ballroom dances. One of the reasons we come to tea dances is to practise what we’ve learned over the last week or two and although it’s not the real reason for the fortnightly dances, it’s a major part of them and just walking round in a circle to music isn’t going to entice folk to come back. Practising and learning from others you see dancing will make folk want to improve. Sequence dances have their place, but variety is the key.

We left a little later than our usual 3pm, but still managed to miss most of the traffic and get back fairly quickly. Simonne was on a sales visit to a few of the universities and pharmaceutical establishments in Scotland and was coming to us for dinner. After discussing whether we’d eat at home or book a table somewhere, Scamp chose to cook dinner. She arrived around 6pm and we had Chicken Thighs, Cauliflower Florets and Green Lentils. It was a tray bake and it worked really well. Dessert was Lemon Meringue Pie, also lovely. Afterwards we sat and talked about replacing the roof of their house and the problems that brought as well as catching up with what else they had been doing in their lives. A good night.

PoD turned out to be a path through the trees in St Mo’s.

Tomorrow Scamp is intending going to FitSteps in the morning. Then we’re hoping to have lunch with June and Ian.

A toy off the rack – 15 November 2023

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It was a dull morning, but it brightened up for a while.

Hazy phoned in the morning and that brightened up the day for a while. We talked about places to go in Yorkshire and Cumbria and how both she and Simonne were deep in consultation about it, but no decisions had been made at this time. We also discussed hats and Christmas prezzies, and of course the wedding that’s just come on to our destinations list for next year with the obvious necessity for Scamp to get a new hat and/or a dress and/or shoes. I might wear my kilt.
I’m glad to hear that Neil is starting to reduce his workload. It’s so easy to agree to taking on everything you get asked to do. Sometimes NO is the correct answer. Taking charge of that right answer is the difficult part of the discussion.

When we were all talked out, we said “Cheerio” to Hazy and drove in to Glasgow. I was going to look for a new ‘standard’ lens for the A6500. The standard lens that came with its predecessor is good, up to a point, but I felt the newer camera deserve better glass. I’d discussed it with Scamp and we’d come to an agreement. So today I was going in to Glasgow to get my hands on a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC DN. I found it in WEX, took two shots with it and bought it on the spot.

While I was off getting a new “Toy off the rack”, Scamp was wandering round the shops in Buchanan Galleries. We met up back at Nero and had a quick lunch of a toasted panini and a coffee. The day hadn’t brightened up again, so we drove home.

I took the new lens out to see St Mo’s and it seemed to like the leaves and a spider in the woods. The spider got PoD. The lens behaved well except that to zoom in to subjects you have to turn the ring the “wrong” way, ie. the opposite way from most other lenses. Also the manual focus ring is a bit awkward to find, especially if you’re wearing gloves. I’m sure I’ll get used to these things. It just takes a little time.

Dancing tonight with Kirsty was mainly the Quickstep and a more gentle run through the middle and end of the dance. I think Scamp was getting annoyed with my continuous mistakes, just as I was getting ratty with her not wanting to turn at the corners. However, I’d have been stuck without her instructions on what foot to move next and what foot had no weight (technical term!). We finished up with a few runs through the Tango and we were done for tonight. I feel a lot more confident about the Quickstep now. Whether we’ll dance it at tomorrow’s tea dance is not a foregone conclusion yet.

So, tomorrow we’re hoping to go dancing at Glenburn community centre and in the evening Simonne may come over from Motherwell for dinner, since she’s up in Scotland for business. Looking forward to that too.

Coffee for three – 14 November 2023

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We met Shona for coffee and lots of blethering today.

We drove up to the fairly new Costa drive-through, but didn’t drive through. Instead, we parked in the area near Wetherspoons where it looks as if they just dumped a lorry load of old asphalt and left it to set. Council couldn’t afford to rent a roller, because it’s just Cumbersheugh and nobody cares.
(Rant over).

The coffee was the usual tasteless Costa brown liquid, but we weren’t there for that, we were there to hear how Shona was and also to hear what she and Ben had been up to recently. Apparently it had been a busy few weeks for her with a trip to Blackpool, a home visit in the middle of the night by some ‘hunky firemen’ (her words, not mine!) and Ben’s attempt at flooding a caravan. Too much to go into here, but it made great entertainment for us. After an hour or so of exchanging stories we left to get the makings of dinner and Shona went to get some messages. Costa’s coffee might be dire, but the Christmas Cake Slice is lovely.

We drove home via M&S and picked up some veg, prawns a sauce and a box of noodles that would turn into a very nice stir-fry later. It had been raining all morning, but by the time we got home the sky was clearing and it was looking a lot better.

After lunch Scamp started making this year’s Christmas Cake. Not being satisfied with one and having enough rum soaked fruit anyway, she managed to make three cakes. One to eat reasonably soon. One to become the Christmas cake and one to be left for later in the year, or maybe even until next year. The smell in the kitchen was a delight.

I’d been messing around with my SSD collection, chopping bits out and moving other bits around to generate some useful space. It all became such a guddle, I eventually shut the computer down and went for a walk. Just as I left the house, the first raindrops returned. Two circuits of St Mo’s pond left me with about fourteen images and a sodden jacket, but because it was a Berghaus, it was only the outer skin that got wet. I didn’t. The rain hadn’t stopped since I left the house. It had got heavier and lessened, but it hadn’t gone away. Still, a walk in the rain is always good for the soul, as long as you have a good jacket!

The photos weren’t all that great, but my favourite was one of an old hawthorn bush covered in lichen and moss and with a few bunches of red hawthorn berries hanging from it. Most of them with raindrops clinging. That made PoD.

After a lovely stir-fry for dinner, I set to and did some more pruning of the SSDs I think I have a much neater collection now and there is room for all the backups I need.

We may go in to Glasgow tomorrow if it’s not too wet and dreich.

 

 

 

Auld Claes and Purrich – 13 November 2023

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Back to normality whatever that is.

A sleep in your own bed is a wonderful thing, as is not lacing up the dance shoes every day. Some of the glitz and glamour had gone, though, and even I missed that, but it’s good to get back to the grind too … for a while.

My first appointment today was with writing up the blog posts for the past three days before the small details vanish from my head. I know I won’t remember everything with complete clarity, but if I get most of the things down on digital paper, hopefully some time in the future I’ll read a blog written today and say “Oh, yes! I remember that.” And then the Tony Buzan hooks will connect with other memories of that day in the past and another light will come on. It works for me, every time I read last year’s blog.

I had Friday finished and Saturday well on its way when I had to stop to go for my blood-letting appointment. Blood samples for my annual medical review. Or “CHRONIC disease review” as our Medical Centre calls it. I hate the stigma of chronic disease and especially the screaming all caps. Is that really necessary? It feels so dirty, and I do believe they do it to frighten the unwary. Not the nicest medical centre and certainly not the most caring.

I’d been asked to bring back a loaf on the way home and I also got some blueberries, but that was almost all the fruit that was available at Tesco. It was blueberries and that was it. I drove back home in an improving weather picture. The clouds were breaking and the torrential rain we had in the morning had stopped, thankfully.

After lunch which was a piece ’n’ bacon and a piece ’n’ jam (so main course and dessert!) I settled down to finish off Saturday.

By 2.30pm the light from earlier was fading and I thought that if I was going to get any PoDs today I’d have to get my boots on and go soon. So that’s what I did. The PoD was one of the last shots of the day. Half a dozen Canada geese were joined by a Coot in a new extension of the pond at St Mo’s. This new quiet section seems to be attracting a lot of attention in the latter part of the year. That’s good to see.

Tomorrow, Scamp is booked for coffee with Shona. I’m not sure what I’m doing, but I do have a bit computer reorganising to do.

Busy doing nothing – 7 November 2023

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That sort of sums up the day, at least for me.

I spent most of the morning poring over ‘standard’ lenses for the A6500. I like the camera, but don’t have a decent lens in the 18-70mm range. Of course it would be better to have one that was just a bit shorter at the short end and slightly longer at the long end, but with each added millimetre it seems the price goes up by around £100! When you think of it in those terms, it looks like the extravagance that it is. I thought I had two better priced lenses pinned down, but after reading reviews from people who have been ‘on the money’ before, I have to reluctantly agree that I’d be throwing good money after bad. So, although it wasn’t exactly a wasted morning, it wasn’t a very constructive one either, and the search goes on.

After lunch, Scamp suggested a walk to the shops just to get some tangerines, but really it was to get me out of the house. Her ruse worked too. We walked down to the shops, bought the tangerines and not much else, then walked home. On purpose I’d worn my trainers for the walk, so that I couldn’t really be comfortable walking round St Mo’s. That meant I had to come home to change into my boots and then go out again to get today’s PoD. I can play that game too!

On the second walk of the afternoon, the real walk, I had my A7 with me and thought I’d got a PoD as I crossed the path through the avenue of trees beside the road, because in the distance I could see two folk at the end of the path. A long way away, but not for the 85mm lens I had on the A7. Three shots taken and in the bag. The walk round St Mo’s pond delivered nothing, but gave me a chance to hang up a coconut shell filled with fat and raisins to feed the birds. I’ll check it in a few days to find out if they’ve found it.

On the way home I had a seat on a bench and reviewed what I had taken. It turned out the shots down the avenue weren’t that good, because the folk I’d been ‘shooting’ had disappeared into the grass at the edge of the path, presumably picking up the crap their wee dog had deposited. That wouldn’t make a decent photo, but at that point a woman passed me heading down that same path. I gave her a chance to get halfway down before I took the photos and this time I checked them on the spot and felt sure these ones would work.

Dinner tonight was a joint project. Scamp was making soup in the afternoon and she suggested I make a pizza which we could share. So that’s what we did. Carefully measured amounts of flour, yeast, salt, oil and water. Then let the mixer do the hard work of kneading the dough. I think my yeast must be going off, because in a warm living room it should have risen quickly and it didn’t. However it did rise enough to bake in time for dinner and was one of the better ones recently.

Heavy rain predicted overnight tonight, but a better day with a bit of sunshine tomorrow afternoon. At least that’s what the weather fairies say.

Remember, Remember – 5 November 2023

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Remember, remember, the fifth of November, but was the day memorable? No, not really. Here’s what I remember about it.

In the late morning we drove up to Tesco at the town centre rather than the one at Craigmarloch. For some reason, Craigmarloch don’t sell Tesco Bran Flakes any more. Yes, they sell Fruit and Fibre Bran Flakes and also Kellogg Bran Flakes, but not their own brand. I wondered if the main Tesco in the town was hogging all the BFs, and so it was that we drove up to the heady heights of the Town Centre with the sole purpose of sourcing those cardboard look-alike breakfast cereals.

After wandering round putting loads of stuff in the trolley, we entered the cereal aisle and there they were! Three boxes of Tesco Bran Flakes, so we bought them all. Now we didn’t! Of course we only bought one, just on the off chance that they wouldn’t be as good as Scamp remembered them. Maybe they would have some secret additives, or be made from a different type of cardboard. Anyway, we guarded them with our lives until we got them home safely. I’m sure a taste test will be conducted tomorrow.

Back home and after lunch I chopped up a couple of lamb neck fillets and fried them with onions, dates, orange juice, five different spices (but not five spice) and tipped the lot into the slow cooker and set it to cook slowly for three hours. That would be my dinner tonight, Lamb Tagine. Scamp was having salmon and we’d share rice.

I took the A7 out for a walk later in the afternoon and, although there was very little of note to photograph, I did get some landscape shots of the Campsie Fells and some late afternoon sun shots around St Mo’s. One group of the Campsie shots went into the Lightroom mincer and came out as a reasonable panorama which made PoD.

The meat in the tagine cooked perfectly, but the dates were overpoweringly sweet, so note to self – use half the quantity in future. Other than that, it was lovely. It was a bit oily, but you must expect that with the cheaper cuts of lamb. Scamp’s salmon fillet was a bit smaller than she expected, but still made a decent meal with her fancy rice cooked with peas, peppers and mushrooms. I had the boring white rice this time, but I’ll maybe make the fancy stuff next time.
Dessert was Apple and Blackcurrant crumble topped with ice cream and it was our own apples and blackcurrants, too so that made it taste extra special.

Spoke to Jamie in the evening and heard that while the roof repairs are going well, there are new problems that have been revealed. More consultations and more form filling, no doubt. But at least he seems to be enjoying the new job, even if he missed a day because they were marooned on their own little island after the torrential rain flooded all the roads!

Tomorrow morning I have a visit to the dentist to look forward to. We may go out later if the weather is kind to us.

 

 

 

 

Talking to the Ombudsman – 3 November 2023

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Or to be more precise, the Ombudsman’s lady accomplice.

It was all quite down to earth. She, Amy, asked a few questions for confirmation and Scamp gave her the gist of the problem and what our expected outcome would be. Amy agreed to take on the case on our behalf and would expect to take two weeks to investigate the case and speak to British Gas then if there is no resolution it might take another four weeks, just in time for Christmas! She did seem quite confident of finding a solution. All done in about fifteen minutes. That left Scamp enough time to get to her FitSteps class and for me to get out into today’s sunshine to grab some photos.

Actually I already had a few photos. We were parked up at the car park at the top of the hill and I offered to bring the car down to our usual spot. When I got out I spotted movement on the roof of the car and found a tiny wee spider, not 3mm long wandering around. It was an agile wee thing, running around and then stopping and standing up on its long spindly legs. I’m guessing this was defence tactic “Don’t mess with ME. I’m big and strong”. Spider version of squaring up to a foe. I finally had to wave “goodbye”, because I was freezing, standing there in the cold east wind.

Once Scamp had gone to FitSteps, I bundled up and put my boots on for a walk in St Mo’s. I was hoping to get some photos of the big chestnut tree in the woods, or failing that, some chestnuts lying on the ground, but no leaves left on the tree and no chestnuts to be seen. BUT, I got the lovely PoD a few yards away in a splash of sunlight. Hard to believe that just over the fence there is a two lane motorway.

When Scamp returned we decided to walk over to Brodens for lunch. It’s the restaurant part of what was The Masonic Arms in Condorrat. Steak pie for me with a glass of Guinness and Mac ’n’ Cheese with a glass of wine for Scamp. Food was lovely, as was my Guinness. When we got home we booked lunch tomorrow at Mango in Longcroft. It saves wear and tear on the dishwasher is our argument!

The spider and the PoD feature in today’s Flickr submission.

We’re intending to drive to Brookfield tomorrow to get the last class before Perth.