Category: St Mo’s

Dancin’ – 25 May 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Back to the grind again, driving over to Brookfield for an hour and a half of dancing.

It started with Mayfair Quickstep danced to a new piece of music which didn’t really fit the dance I thought, but what do I know. The next one also the Mayfair was to the traditional tune and it worked fine.

Next up was a Rumba which we’d dance a couple of weeks ago. Most of it came back to me after a couple of tracks, but then Jane added in some pointers to make it look a bit smoother and although I’m not always a fan of her additions, the Ball Flat she taught, where you step on the ball of your foot before you drop on to your heel, did make the dance much smoother and quieter!

The next dance was what’s now called the Four Seasons Waltz. At last we have settled on a name that works in any season of the year! It worked well. We both kind of knew it, but again the emphasis was on teaching us the techniques. In particular it was the ‘Sway’ which is a big part of waltz. I found that quite difficult. I could do the correct steps but not the sway or I could do the sway and forget what the next step was. I think that requires some practise.

We finished with a Bellissima Cha Cha which was less than bellissima from my point of view. It was one we’d learned years ago during lockdown. It was another one that came together after a few runs through.

After that we were set free again to drive back home through some folk’s panic to get to a football match between Glasgow Rangers and Celtic.

Back home, a chicken and potato omelette brought me back to normal after the drive and the dancing. I went out for a walk and wandered around St Mo’s for a while. That’s where today’s PoD came from. It’s some Speedwell flowers. Not as good as the photos Jamie sent of his Bee Orchids growing in the garden.

Today’s prompt was Towel Day (Hitch hiker’s guide to the Galaxy) or a Walnut. I’ve drawn a towel before for the Douglas Adams tribute, but this year I opted for a Walnut instead. I don’t think Douglas would have minded. Complicated things walnuts, the fruit reminded me of a human brain with all its whorls and symmetries.

Scamp is looking through photos on her new laptop that seems to be going well. I might have a wee dram before I go to bed. It’s been a tiring day.

Definitely no plans for tomorrow.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting – 24 May 2024

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For the DPD man to call.

Scamp’s new laptop was due to arrive today, but eventually we got the message that it would arrive just after 1pm and as usual with DPD, it was right on time.

I’d forgotten how many times you have to sign your life away when you’re setting up a PC. Macs seem to be much easier and lighter on the crap that comes with the computer and nobody really wants. Eventually it did its inevitable updates and restarted four or five times, then we finally got to play with it, well, Scamp did. I was Tech Support today. The lady in the shop where we didn’t buy the laptop told it was easy to get the files and data from the old computer and on to the new one, but then she told us that anti-virus software was desperately important and that McAfee wouldn’t slow the system. I just shook my head and smiled. I knew she was lying, because her lips were moving. The in-store sales team will tell you anything to get your money and get you out of the store. We had gone by the short cut and ordered online from JL. No lies to listen to, just pay the money and wait for it to arrive.

Setting up the machine was fairly easy, but getting it to load the data and files from the old one took a good 2 – 3 hours. First it wanted to load all that data on to One Drive, got stuck and told us that we’d need a bigger One Drive. That’s when I got hot under the collar and removed One Drive, then put the data back old style by copying it from the backup I’d made in the morning. Now, only about 8 hours after we started it’s beginning to look like a real computer. It’s actually got a nice clear screen and the sound from the B&O speakers impressed Scamp’s musical ear. We’ll see how easy it is to work with after a few days.

I did manage a quick walk in the afternoon after waiting for a downpour to clear. Just a few minutes of really good light, but it cheered me up from the struggle with Mickysoft. PoD was a low level shot of dandelions with their bad hair day look after that rain.

Dinner was Fish Fingers, Egg and Spaghetti (from a tin). Just what I needed.

Today’s prompt was A Tree. This is a tree across the corner from me. Like many of the trees this year, it had no leaves until the beginning of May, then tree and leaf growth went into overdrive. I think it was the warm weather coming after a decidedly wet and dull spell of weather. All the trees around seemed eager to be out in leaf. The lightly sketched car is intended to give an idea of scale.

I’ve just discovered what a good, comfortable chair the Poang from Ikea is. I’d a sore back after all that peering over the laptop keyboard. An hour with Angry Birds on the Poang relieved the pain.

The teachers are back from their latest voyage and I think we may go to dance class tomorrow to demonstrate all the things we’ve forgotten!

 

Raining again – 23 May 2024

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Just light rain early in the morning, but it got heavier later in the day. I think it’s time for the clouds to turn the tap off now.

We had another discussion this morning and decided to order the laptop from John Lewis.

  • Same price as everywhere else
  • They had them in stock (not display models)
  • They do next day delivery
  • Two years warranty

No brainer.

I drove over to Tesco to get some missing elements for tonight’s dinner which was Lemon & Turmeric Chicken. It was the second one this week to turn out ‘ok’, just ok. It might have been tough chicken thighs or maybe it needed to be cooked for longer. Neither of us was all that impressed. HOWEVER! The Rhubarb & Custard Pie that Scamp made was excellent, I thought. Scamp wasn’t all that complimentary about it. It’s a bit of a faff to make, but I’d say it was worth the effort. Plenty left for tomorrow.

While I was in Tesco I bumped into Fred and we had a blether for about 20 mins with topics covering: Chemists, Surgeries and Painting we also discussed Rishi Sunak standing in pouring rain, with no shelter or umbrella, announcing that the General Election will take place on the 4th of July. Why?

When I got back and after lunch Scamp had started making the aforementioned Rhubarb & Custard Pie and I went for a walk in St Mo’s just as the rain started, but unlike Rainman, I had a raincoat on. One decent photo of a field of buttercups. That became PoD.

Today’s prompt was for a Gift Loop or a Gift Bow. Since I had no idea what a Gift Loop was, I chose a bow instead. It eventually morphed into a red bow on a green box which probably held a gift or maybe it would be a Jack in the Box. That would probably have been funnier, but it’s done and dusted now and cannot be changed. My drawing – My rules. The judge’s decision is final.

Hopefully if DPD are as efficient as they usually are, they should deliver a big box tomorrow. Not too early I hope, but not too late either.

Off the leash again! – 19 May 2024

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Scamp was off at midday. Going to see the Strictly Professionals in the Armadillo.

Before she left we had a phone chat with Hazel and heard that things are returning to normal again after Rita’s funeral. I think it has taken more out of then than they had anticipated. I’m sure the mid-term break and the thoughts of the holiday will give them something to look forward to.

I dropped Scamp off at the British Legion, where she joined in with the rest of the FitSteps ladies who were going. No men appeared to be interested. My duty done, I drove out to Westway Retail Park where I was intending to buy some bags of compost … but not today! There were crowds of folk coming and going from the Home Bargains store which was where Scamp told me the best bargains in compost were. I’m sure there were bargains to be had, but there were no spaces in the carpark, and I do mean NONE. If that’s how busy it was outside, what was it going to be like inside. I drove home via Tesco and bought a loaf to take home.

It was a cloudy day. Lots of high white cloud that the sun couldn’t penetrate, so I got the grass cutter out and chopped the grass in the back garden, shifting all the pots as I went to avoid having to use the strimmer. It didn’t take very long to hover mow the grass, but it did take easily twice as long to clean the mower afterwards. By the time I had finished and put the mower back in its place, the sun was starting to cut through the cloud and the place was getting that little bit brighter. I dug out some compost from the raised bed and used it to earth up the two potato bags and the potato pot. That was the extent of today’s gardening.

After a cup of tea the sun was indeed shining and it was warm enough to take out a garden chair and read in the sun. The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges was today’s book. A bit of a scrambled start, but then the real story had started. I don’t know if it’s been part ghost written, but the language seems quite flowery for Mr B, in places. I’ll see how it settles down.

Later in the afternoon I thought I’d go over to St Mo’s to see if there were any damselflies or dragonflies. There were both, but the damselflies were busy making more damselflies while the single dragonfly seemed to flying circuits round the pond. Eventually it rested on a horsetail, quite near to the boardwalk and I managed to get a few (about 30) shots of it. One of which got PoD.

Dinner for me was some of yesterday’s chicken with potatoes, chives and tomatoes and it was almost as good as yesterday’s.

Just before 8pm I got a text from Scamp asking to be picked up from the rooftop restaurant in the town centre. It seemed that the show was a success, although it wasn’t exactly what she’s been expecting.

Spoke to Jamie later and heard about their garden. What was growing and what was not. Simonne is off on her travels again, this time in England.

Today’s prompt asked for a Ball of Wool. This is not an exact spherical ball, more a disjointed cylindrical woollen object with hemispherical ends. So, to my eyes it’s a ball of wool, but I’m sure my daughter will correct me and tell me it’s yarn, not wool. It is what it is, and it was easier than I thought to draw.

We may go looking for compost again tomorrow, hoping to find a quieter time.

The First Damselfly this year – 18 May 2024

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We couldn’t decide what to do today, then Scamp suggested we go for a walk in Drumpellier park.

It had been very misty earlier in the morning but that soon burned off to reveal a lovely day. We walked counter-clockwise round the big pond and then walked into the trees. The trees are beautiful at this time of year with their lush green leaves. So much brighter than in the middle of summer when they darken down. We bumped into a wee excited boy with his mum. They had seen a deer and a squirrel. We walked on and chose a random set of paths to follow but too soon we were out of the woods and onto the converter belt of folk who just walk round the tarmac path that edges the pond. Scamp suggested we turn back and walk along a path that runs parallel with the tarmac path, but much deeper in the woods. That’s when we saw a deer. I don’t know if it saw us, but either it was quite used to humans walking through the woods, or it hadn’t seen us. It just crossed our path and walked into the dense woodland, lost to us. I wondered if it was the one the wee boy saw. We didn’t see any squirrels though.

Scamp’s navigation was spot on right. She told us where we would come out of the deep woods and on to a path we’d walked before, but in the other direction. The path took us back to the ponds and there in the ponds I saw the blue flash that could only be a damselfly. Indeed it was. I didn’t manage to get a clear shot of it, but I did catch another, dark yellow one and it became PoD. First damsel this year.

It was really warm today, so we got a couple of cones at an ice cream van then found a seat to sit on and watch the world go by.

We drove in to Coatbridge intending to buy the laptop we’d seen yesterday in Stirling, but unfortunately the only one they had was the display model and Scamp was adamant that she wasn’t taking that! Instead, we crossed the road and got a chicken for roasting for dinner, milk and some veg. Then we drove home for lunch, because all that walking had given us an appetite.

After lunch, Scamp went into the garden to sit in the sun and read. I changed into shorts and boots and walked over to St Mo’s and there I found, not only damselflies, but also a couple of dragonflies. Very early in the season for them. I forgot to mention yesterday that I’d seen the first swallow of the year. They are our late spring or early summer visitors and always brighten my day.

Dinner was great. Chicken was lovely and moist and Scamp’s crushed potatoes were equally good.

I was running a bit late yesterday, but yesterday’s prompt was for a cream cake. I think this one fits the bill. Layers of sponge alternating with layers of butter cream. Then the whole thing studded with strawberries, blueberries and a few brambles from the freezer. I’d eat it, given the chance!

Today’s prompt asked for A Game. The game I chose was Chess. I used to play it a lot, but once you stop playing you loose the rhythm of the game and it takes a long time to remember the patterns and the strategies. I really should go back to it, but it’s difficult to find a chess club where I live. Like so many things, computers have taken over and, while they are great for learning the game, playing against a human opponent is much more satisfying, even if you lose, which I did a lot!

Tomorrow Scamp is hoping to go and see the Strictly show in Glasgow with the rest of the FitSteppers. Hope she enjoys it.

Change in the weather – 13 May 2024

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We woke to white skies all around. No sign of the blue skies we’d been enjoying last week.

I was out in the morning to get bloods taken at the health centre. Two chatty nurses kept me talking after the bloodletting had finished. I though at first it was my magnetic personality and my scintillating conversation that was dazzling them. Then I realised they were just making sure this auld guy had been sitting in the chair for the mandatory five or ten minutes, whatever it was, before releasing me into the wild world outside.

I’d got out early and decided I’d pick up a loaf and some fruit, plus Scamp’s meds on the way home. With all the warm weather we’ve had, the trees have been dropping their sap on the cars, and mine felt like the bonnet was covered in sandpaper, so a trip to the carwash would be a good idea … except, it seemed that everyone else in Cumbersheugh had the same idea, so instead I drove home.

Back home Scamp was edging the concrete slabs we have spread across the grass at the back of the house. If you don’t keep cutting the grass back it attempts to cover the slabs. Scamp was doing a good job of disabusing it of that idea.

After lunch she started cleaning up what we laughingly call a patio. It’s just a load of badly laid concrete slabs placed end to end, but we did make some wooden duckboard plates to allow some air in under the plants, but other forms of detritus had found its way in too. Between us we managed to sweep it up and add it to the compost bin.

I took some time out from the garden to sketch today’s topic which was A Songbird. The Blackbird is our finest and most easily recognised songbird. Years ago you could hear Larks and the occasional Song Thrush, but the urbanizing of our countryside has ousted them all, that and the seagulls and magpies. I’m just happy to listen to the blackbirds singing in the morning and in the evening.
We try to encourage them into our small garden, leaving chopped up apples for them to tear apart as repayment for their song.

After that, I took the A7 over to St Mo’s and got some decent photos. It was a toss up whether PoD went to Mrs Wolf Spider hauling her egg sac behind her, or the wilderness garden with aquilegia, poppies and dandelions that has sprung up in the last two weeks at the end of our road. In the end Mrs W won out.

Dinner tonight was Red Pasta. That is a tomato based sauce. This time with Cirio concentrated tomato puree. We couldn’t get it anywhere, then a couple of weeks ago we found it on sale in Waitrose, so we got two packets. Lovely strong tomato flavour. Not a bad dinner with basil and spinach leaves too for more texture.

That was about it for today, except to say that it’s raining tonight, not torrential, just good soaking rain. Scamp had feared that we’d need to start watering the garden, but Mother Nature did it for us!

Busy tomorrow afternoon.

Toasting – 12 May 2024

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Another warm day, but a close, uncomfortable heat, rather than the sunny summer heat we’d had last week.

It wasn’t too hot or uncomfortable to prevent Scamp from doing a bit of plant shifting in the back garden. Between us we have worked out a possible two tier plant stand between the greenhouse and the back fence. Plans are at the pie-in-the-sky stage, but we both have an idea what is needed. The problem is we may not both be thinking about same idea. Only time will tell.

After lunch I suggested we drive to Coatbridge to get a new toaster. The old Tefal single slot toaster has been working at less than 100% efficiency for a long time and we’ve been fighting a losing battle to get it to work. Today we made the decision to buy an new one. Not one of the all singing, all dancing gigantic ones, just a long slot one like the Tefal, but one that would work all the time. What we settled for was a twin long slot toaster. Slightly bigger than the Tefal but not by a lot. It would still fit into the space the old one came out of. It was a sad day to see the old one go, but that’s progress. We drove home and had to put the air-con on for the first time this year.

Before dinner I managed an hour in St Mo’s but that’s not where the PoD came from. I found a nice little bunch of Aquilegia growing beside the fence of a house on my way back home. They made PoD.

Today’s prompt was A Gemstone. Not being much of a gemologist or a jeweller, I asked my old friend, Mr Google and he pointed me at an Aquamarine which I purchased on-line so that I could sketch it for today’s prompt. It was a lot smaller than I’d anticipated, but with the help of a camera and a macro lens I got a big enough image to sketch the gemstone you see here.

You didn’t really believe that story, did you? No, I’m sure you didn’t.

Tomorrow Scamp needs to get her meds from the chemist and I need to give a thimble full of blood to the vampires!

A Lazy Day – 11 May 2024

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Yesterday was a rush, but today was a day to relax.

We walked down to the shops to get some cheesey bread, ordinary bread, potatoes and teacakes. After yesterday’s buying spree, today’s was frugal.

We walked back up the road and after lunch, Scamp installed herself in the wee patch of sunshine that had appeared in the back garden. I walked over to St Mo’s and got today’s PoD which is a Common Carpet Moth.  I’ve not started on the prompt for today which is An Umbrella.  I might manage to squeeze it in after I write this.

It was  a beautiful day again today, temperature in the mid 20s centigrade.  We sat in the garden for most of the afternoon and enjoyed the sun

Dinner tonight was Spaghetti with Crab and Chilli.  Long, long time since we’ve had that.  It was delicious.

That was our lazy day.

I just got a red alert on my phone for a possible Aurora!  I’ll believe it when I see it.

No firm plans for tomorrow, yet.  Maybe a walk down Glasgow Green.

 

Chef for a day – 10 May 2024

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I’d done some prep yesterday, but today I was cooking a full three course meal!

Scamp left to go to FitSteps just before 10am and was back about fifteen minutes later to report that there was work being done on all the roads leading to the town centre. There had been no notification of the works and there were no diversion instructions. She was not a happy bunny.

To make the most of a bad start to the day, we drove to Tesco to stock up for tonight’s dinner for Crawford & Nancy. Drove home and decanted all the food and drink, then I drove up to the fish van at Calders and picked up tonight’s slab of cod which would be the centre of the main course.

A bit more prep after that because Scamp always says that the “mise en place” as the French describe it, preparation, is the key to success when cooking. It worked for me. Almost an hour later I was prepared and had some free time to get today’s PoD in St Mo’s. It was a male Wolf Spider looking for a mate. They’re called Wolf Spiders because they don’t build webs, but stalk their prey.

Today’s EDiM prompt asked for A Bridge. I chose the railway bridge that carries the Stirling to Glasgow line over the Luggie Water. It’s really quite an old bridge, stone built and bears the name SCM1 132/676. Wouldn’t it be so much nicer if the had called it the “Bridge Over Luggie Water”, but the railway companies aren’t very romantic, so SCM1 132/676 it is.

Back home we had the living room to clear and the table to set. By 7pm we were ready to receive visitors and there they were at the door!

After getting drinks organised I started in the kitchen. First task was making the filo pastry nests for the starter. I’d already measured and mixed up the egg and milk for the nest and it was just a case of pouring it into the nest, adding the chopped up veg and cooking the four ramekins in a water bath. One down!

Next was Bacon and Peas with Cod. I’d made the bacon and peas many times, but I’d never fried the big chunks of cod in butter before and was a bit worried about making a mess with this fairly expensive chunk of fish. However, it all just worked and, although it would have been better with a bit of salt, there were no complaints.

Finally it was Creme Caramel (the grave symbol still doesn’t work on a Mac). All that was needed was to extricate it from the ramekins and serve. It looked the part and, even better, it tasted right! One more thing to do and that was to make the coffee which turned out strong, but otherwise it was fine.

Finally I could relax and enjoy a wee dram or two with Crawford because Nancy was nominated driver.

When they’d left I checked my phone and saw Fred’s photos of the Northern Lights. I got one grainy green photo on my phone, but nothing on my camera. Maybe being slightly inebriated contributed to the lack of photos.

Hoping for a lazy day tomorrow and maybe another chance of an aurora photo.

Meeting Erin – 7 May 2024

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Today we were going to meet John and Marion’s new granddaughter, Erin.

In the morning I did a bit of more mundane work and ordered a replacement bus pass after the last one failed to connect on the bus.  It’s supposed to arrive within 14 days.

Scamp was really excited about it and I must admit I was looking forward to see the new baby too.

When we got to Hamilton, the star hadn’t arrived, so we sat and talked to John and Marion about how their lives were going to change over the next year. They seemed perfectly happy to be stand-in parents. I expect we would be the same.

We had lunch while we waited. It was home made Veg Lasagne and it was lovely. I must get Scamp to coax the recipe out of Marion. I din’t used to like veg lasagne, but now I prefer it to the meat version. Dessert was Apricot Trifle and it was very, very good, with crushed amaretti biscuits on top.

Just as we were finishing, Laura arrived with Erin. I’d forgotten quite how small, new babies are. I’d also forgotten about the little details like tiny little nails on her fingers and how bright blue her eyes were. I tend to forget these things after forty odd years. Scamp was obviously desperate to hold Erin and as soon as she had her cradled in her arms, she went straight into ‘Mother Mode’. The room was totally silent too, everybody’s eyes on that baby. Not long after that, the spell was broken when she started to cry. Laura did the thing every parent does and put her knuckle into Erin’s mouth and said “Yes, she’s needing fed.” Even I remembered that feeling of a baby’s gums trying to suckle your finger. So off mum and baby went to feed her and change her nappy.

We sat and talked with the new grandparents while this was happening and heard about their plans for holiday this year. Aruba sounds very exotic and it’s just a bit north of Trinidad. They are meeting up with friends there but it’s a long flight.

Erin was much more relaxed with a full belly and a clean nappy and John was having a great conversation before it was time to mother and baby to drive home. It was a great experience, but I’m glad we could hand her back when it was time to go. Did I have a chance to hold her? No, not me. I’m of the the Kevin Bridges group. More “How you doing mate?” than Goo Goo. I’d be terrified I’d drop her or something similar.

Soon after Laura and Erin left, we did too. Back home I changed into walking clothes and went for a walk in St Mo’s which is where today’s PoD came from, a pink Bluebell. Is that an oxymoron? On the way back home I stopped at the chip shop in Condorrat for a small fish supper that would be our supper. Very nice it was too.

Today’s prompt was for a pencil sharpener. This is my pencil sharpener. It’s a Swann Morton scalpel holding a Swann Morton No 11 blade. I used to use a standard sharpener with a built-in tub to hold the shavings, but the scalpel allows me to shave a much longer and narrower point on the pencil which doesn’t need sharpening quite as much as a standard rotary sharpener.
The only problem with the scalpel is that changing blades is difficult. I use a fine pair of pliers to twist the blade out and carefully twist a new blade into place. Oh yes, and remember that these are surgical quality steel blades. They are liable to cut more than pencils if you’re not careful!!

Tomorrow we may go for coffee with Isobel. It all depends on when a coffee delivery arrives for me.