Category: St Mo’s

The lights came on – 30 November 2021

Posted on by Zogman

The sun didn’t want to come out to play today, except for about ten seconds in the morning.

I had a gossip with Fred in the morning. It’s ages since I’ve spoken to him and I had really intended phoning him last week. I really enjoyed his patter. Nothing is sacrosanct with Fred and everything is criticised mercilessly. I spent a good three quarters of an hour being entertained, and we did get round to serious topics too, like painting. Glad to hear that he’s framed his latest extended portrait landscape and hung it in the hall. Had to cut short our conversation when my phone told me it was running low on power, so I said my goodbyes and plugged it into the charger. It might have charged quicker if I’d switched the charger on, but I’m not sure. I did switch it on an hour later when the phone was completely dead for some reason!

I drove up to Tesco to get some stuff for the dinner just after lunch. I’d intended collecting my meds from Boots at the same time, but the queue was about six or seven deep outside the shop, so I decided another day would be better. The queue in Tesco for the Post Office was even longer, and I was glad that we’d decided to send a parcel down to Epsom way by DPD instead. It should be picked up tomorrow for next day delivery, Hazy!

When I got back into the car, the headlights came on automatically. It was that sort of day. Like I said at the start, I missed the ten seconds of good daylight in the late morning. But there is a 365 to be done and it needs a photo, so I drove home, parked the car, took the messages in and then went back out to see what the world had to offer. By ‘world’, I mean St Mo’s. I was heading over there just after 4pm and it was almost dark. It was a photo of an old tree that got PoD. I’ve photographed in bright sun, rain and snow. I just love the shape of the trunk. It looks as if it’s been in the wars and it’s survived the storms earlier in the week, I’m glad to say.

Thankfully there were no problems with the SD card today and although the photos weren’t earth shattering, the PoD completed number 334 of this year’s 365. That makes it photo 3256 since I started burdening myself with a 365, over 9 years ago.

Tomorrow we are hoping to receive one parcel and also for the DPD person to uplift another. We’re just keeping the wheels of industry turning. It looks like a cold, but brighter day. Maybe more than ten seconds of good light.

 

 

Arwen Arrives – 26 November 2021

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A wild lady is Arwen.

Named after the Lady of Rivendell, Arwen is a storm that started battering the east of the UK this afternoon. I’d gone out in the early afternoon before she could swoop over us and it was bitter cold just about 4ºc which with windchill reduced to approximately -267ºc or thereabouts. At least that’s how it felt. However, I did get some photos and my favourite was the one you see above. It’s the pond at St Mo’s with Deone’s butterfly seat in the distance.

One circuit of the pond was enough for me today. The wind was beginning to rise as I was coming home and I was glad I’d my Bergy jacket with its fleece lining to keep out the worst of the weather.

Earlier, in the morning I’d washed the downstairs windows, but that only gave Scamp the opportunity to change the curtains. I did the taking down of the curtains, Scamp did the changeover and then I put the new ones up. Yes, she was right, they did need changing.

Earlier still, we spoke to Hazy and found what was happening down Epsom way. Lots of interesting things going on down there and we now have a singing school teacher in the family!

All that and a phone call from Margie to tell Scamp about her trips to hospital and the swearing from some Larky folk who were in the ward with her. I’d could have told her, that’s not swearing, it’s just the way they talk. The sweary words are just used as punctuation!

Storm Arwen has been making a nuisance of itself for some time now, since about 3pm, and is still roaming around the houses here.  It’s been gathering all the leaves from around the estate and dumping them on our front garden, then clattering them off our front window.  The storm doesn’t seem to be lessening  and it will be here for most of the night and some of tomorrow it seems. I don’t know how much sleep we’ll get, but it will soon be time to find out.

Tomorrow I’m intending cooking a roast chicken for dinner. I’m sure I’ll need some assistance from Scamp, but maybe not too much. I don’t think we’ll be going far until Arwen heads off south.

An improving picture – 20 November 2021

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A very dull start to the day, but the weather improved as the day went on.

Not the most interesting of days. A bit dull to start with, but that was before the rain came and dampened our spirits even more. I messed around with the new external SSD drive (which is bad English, because the ‘D’ in SSD actually stand for Drive, so what I’ve written in Solid State Drive drive which is nonsense and a wasteful use of the word ‘drive’. The pedant’s pedant, that’s me). I copied X-Plane to it and then ran it from there rather than from the computer’s hard disk. The difference in speed was appreciable. Loading took about a quarter the time. Clever little bit of kit, the SSD.

In the afternoon, once the sun had found a way to shine out through the cloud layer, I took the Sony out for a walk in St Mo’s. I found a little Garden Cross spider that now has a place on Flickr, but PoD was really the sky. As I came out of the woods on to the boardwalk, and I saw the sky, I knew that would be PoD. It took me quite a while to find the right spot, angle and lens for the photo. Even then I dithered for a while choosing from two different trees. I finally chose the fragile looking birch to be the focus. Hardly any post processing for once.

Back home we decided on Fish ’n’ Chips for dinner. I walked over to Condorrat about half past four and by the time I was coming back it was almost totally dark. I noticed the moon rising over the town centre and it looked like a full moon, but apparently that was last night. Still, it was glowing well over the Thunder Dome as John used to call it.

We watched the qualifying for the Quatar GP, but I’m growing tired with the politics and general bad feeling between the leaders. I’ll still watch it to see who wins, but Verstappen’s constant flouting of the rules and Hamilton’s aggression is putting me off. It’s come down to a two horse race and I wouldn’t back either of them.

Tomorrow looks better than today, so maybe we will get out for a walk. If not, a wee dance practise wouldn’t do any harm.

Not enough milk bottles – 18 November 2021

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We were waiting for the call to tell us that Scamp’s glasses were ready. It never came, and neither did they.

Scamp had been told that the glasses would be at the opticians today by around 1.30pm. When no phone call came, she left it a while, then phoned them. She was told that the glasses hadn’t been delivered, but she’d contact the supplier and find out what had gone wrong. Then she would phone us back. An hour later and still no phone call, she phoned the optician again and was told that they were being tracked. Who was doing the tracking, and where the glasses were, she wasn’t saying. We’re guessing that their top sleuths are on the case with specialised glasses sniffing dogs and a police helicopter is standing by in case it is needed. Then again, it might just be a case of not enough milk bottles. We’ll see what happens tomorrow and hopefully Scamp will see too!

With the excitement over and a disappointed Scamp, I gave her some space and went for the messages. It had been suggested that paella might be a good dinner tonight, so I was heading off to get some chicken. Of course I took a camera although the sun was setting and I went via St Mo’s, just in case. As I turned a corner and came out of some overhanging trees, I spooked a group of mallards in the pond. They started squawking their warning cry and I knew they were going to do their vertical take-off trick. I had the wrong lens on the camera and the wrong settings too, but I had no choice. I got three shots before they disappeared. One of those three got PoD.

We did a tiny little bit of dancing today. Just a quick run through of the New Vogue Waltz. Just to refresh my memory. If we have enough time tomorrow I’ll get Scamp to take me through it in more detail.

Autumn days are so short, especially on dull days. If you don’t go out early or when there is the slightest break in the clouds, you’re fighting to get enough light to get a decent photo. Must take my own advice and do that tomorrow.

Otherwise, I hope we are going to Larkhall, although my faith in Simpson Opticians is becoming very tarnished.

Coffee with Val – 17 November 2021

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Out with Val to hear his news and pick his brains.

First time for ages I’ve met Val for a coffee and a chat. Drinking Costa’s version of coffee and trying not to compare it with real coffee. We spent a good hour and a half comparing each other’s technology and being amazed at the advances in computing that have become par for the course these days. He showed me a photo of his latest microcomputer the size of a postage stamp and I discussed with him the challenges of upgrading an iMac with more memory and a 1TB SSD.  Did manage to get Val to give me his opinion on the SSD as a replacement for the HDD in the iMac.  That previous sentence wouldn’t have meant a thing to most people, because, like almost everything we said today, it was in the form of numbers or letters with only a smattering of words to leaven it. So you see, Jamie, you are not alone in being a technophobe.

Back home for lunch and then later in the afternoon I went for a walk in the woods of St Mo’s looking for Stag’s Horn fungi. Managed to find one I’d been unsuccessful in photographing on Monday. Today’s shot was better, but still not great. PoD is a Sycamore seed with a wing that looks almost like windsurfer sail. The seed is caught in the the fork of a tree, maybe a sycamore itself!

Dinner was disappointing ravioli from Waitrose. Quite tasteless. It didn’t help that dinner was interrupted when the kitchen tap started running and wouldn’t stop. After struggling with it for about fifteen minutes, it stopped by itself. I still don’t know what caused it or what made it stop. Maybe it just felt it wanted a bit more attention than I was giving it.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to pick up Scamp’s new glasses which should be ready in the afternoon. If they’re not ready, Scamp will be reading the riot act!

Goldfish bowl – 15 November 2021

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Today the lenses came out and the glasses went on and there was a long face.

Today was the day Scamp had chosen to remove her lenses for the four week preparation for her next visit to Hairmyres, when she would be measured for the lenses that might just improve her sight and remove the cataracts that have been growing. It was not a day without its tension and sufferance. However as everyone she’s met has told her, “It will be worth it in the long run.” Not much consolation when you’re looking at a world that has no straight lines. It must be what a goldfish sees from its bowl. I don’t think you’re really encouraged to put goldfish in bowls these days, but apparently you can do that to people, because It Will Be Worth It …

The rest of the day was quite dull and dreary. Just what you expect after coming down from the heights of a weekend filled with bright lights, music, glitz and some glamour. I think my dad got it right: Auld Claes and Purrich. Even the weather seemed to be dragging us down.

I did go out in the late afternoon when the sky brightened for a while. I walked part of the woods in St Mo’s looking for ‘beasties’ while Scamp watched TV from her goldfish bowl. I came back with a few shots of a spider on a tree and that got PoD.

It being Monday, pasta was on the menu. It was one of those,’ What’s in the fridge’, meals. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Today’s worked. Finely chopped veg cooked with some finely chopped pancetta, then passata added to make the sauce. Served with penne. A Monday dinner.

Watched an interesting Brazilian GP. Some good driving with some very clever tactics. F1 is becoming more and more a statisticians race, where the outcome is carefully calculated on a constantly changing spreadsheet. Some of the fun has gone out of it.

We had a surprise invitation from Jamie to a video call from their new house. They got their keys today and they both looked delighted. They took us round the garden, through the downstairs rooms and then up those notorious stairs to upper floor and that ridiculously small door. It looks like it was a pair of cave explorers who lived in it before, not a couple who are older than us! Beautiful house all the same. Oh, and that garden!!

Hoping the weather fairies have got it wrong and it’s going to be a lovely day tomorrow.

Back on track, and off road – 10 November 2021

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A bright November day, although not as good as yesterday.

Scamp was out early to get prepared for our version of Strictly. I may get shaved later in the week if I can be bothered, that will be the sum total of my preparation. While she was out I did do some catch-up and got the blog posted. At 11.45pm last night I realised I hadn’t posted the photos on Flickr, nor had I written the blog. The blog takes well over half an hour to write and post on a good day, when the server, somewhere in deepest America, is running at about half speed. On bad days it’s on a go-slow and that half hour is how long it takes to send to exchange its starting handshake. I wasn’t going to risk it. I’d write it in the morning when most of America is in sleepy bye byes. I posted the photos on Flickr, then closed the Mac down. I hate having to write and post yesterday’s blog the next day, but I also hate dragging myself to bed at 1am. That’s my excuse, take it or leave it.

With the blog posted and the date changed to protect the innocent, I checked to see when my coffee grinder would arrive. Helpfully, Amazon tell you now roughly when it will arrive. Very roughly. It was 11am when I checked and the news was that it would be delivered today by 10pm. Somewhere in that 11 hours the Amazon person would leave it on our doorstep. I really think they could be a bit more accurate in their estimates.

When Scamp came back I was measuring out some coffee beans into the De’Longhi grinder that came with the coffee machine. It’s a bit rudimentary, but it works and even gives you a sort of idea how fine the grind is. Not as good as the ‘today by 10pm’ Krups grinder, but good enough for a cup of strong espresso.

Scamp phoned to see when her glasses would be ready, only to find, after a few more phone calls that they may not be ready until next Wednesday. Eventually we agreed that it wouldn’t be the disaster it appears, because from Sunday she won’t be wearing her contacts anyway. Also, today I went up into the loft to get a newer pair of emergency specs from the holiday case. They won’t be as up to date as the ones we’re waiting for, but they will hopefully be better than the old pair she found and will allow her to walk around the house.

I held on for a few hours after lunch before deciding that I’d take a couple of cameras out for a walk. Just as I was leaving the man from Amazon was photographing the coffee grinder sitting on the doorstep. Thanked him and unpacked it. It looks just like the old one. Let’s hope it works as well and as hard as that one did.

I took a walk round the pond and then went into the woods that run parallel to the motorway. The trees there aren’t quite so closely crammed together, plus they are mainly deciduous and have lost most of their leaves now, so there was a bit more light. I did get a photo of a wee black fly with red eyes. It was sitting in the sunshine on a tree trunk and moved round with the sun. Not much time left for sunbathing now little fly. That didn’t get PoD. The award went to a view from the grassy area between the houses and St Mo’s. Lovely light and a beautiful yellow tree.

When I was coming home I slipped on a stone and fell into a muddy bit of a burn. Almost managing to stop the camera falling into it. Almost. When I got home and told Scamp, she asked me if I was alright. I said “Och that doesn’t matter, but I think I got some grit in the lens.” The expression on her face said it all. “We are not amused!” Yes, I was fine, and so it seems was the camera and lens combination.

Tomorrow I hoping to pick up my new walking trousers in Glasgow, which will be useful after today’s little incident!

 

The end of October – 31 October 2021

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Halloween and the day the clocks went back to GMT, plus the end of Inktober 2021.

All that and it was still raining!

The only useful thing we did today was to walk to the shops to get some veg for me to make a veggie chilli. For something that changes every time I make it, I was surprised when it actually turned out quite well today. One courgette, one Red Pepper, half a Red Chilli and Onion (chopped fine), a Red Onion (quartered), a large Tomato chopped, a tin of Kidney Beans and half a tin of chopped tomatoes. The veg fried for five minute or so then the rest tossed in along with a teaspoon of cocoa powder (thank you Aunt Belle). Brought to the boil then simmered for about half an hour. Served with rice and pitta bread if you have any. It wasn’t blindingly hot, just hot enough, but Scamp’s Lime Cheesecake finished things off and performed any cooling action that was required.

After we returned from the shops and before the culinary skills were on show, I went for a walk in St Mo’s and got today’s PoD which was a tree sapling growing from a stump of a tree. I just liked the idea of a tree growing in a tree. Sketch of the day was for the final prompt of Inktober 2021, ‘Risk’, and was a glass of whiskey, half finished with a set of car keys beside it. We all take risks. Sometimes the benefits mean the risks are worth it. Sometimes they’re not. I’m not making judgements here, just drawing an ink sketch. Strangest thing though, when I was walking upstairs to photograph the sketch for posting. I always do it under my daylight bulb, anyway I was singing a line from a Roger Waters song ‘Four Minutes’. Listen to it and you’ll see why I mention it.

I’m rushing to get this posted before the month changes …

… It’s posted with less than a minute to spare, now I can finish it.  The day did brighten up a bit and later in the evening I went to the door and stars where shining in an almost clear sky.  I don’t think it will last, more clouds, more rain predicted for tomorrow.  I think tomorrow we might go shopping in the morning and Scamp has plans to have coffee with June in the afternoon.  I have a final sendoff planned for Inktober 2021.  It wasn’t my favourite Inktober, but I got all 31 sketches done in time.  That’s good enough for me.

Dancing Central – 25 October 2021

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But first the doc’s.

Drove Scamp to her appointment with the doc. The doc shook her hand, gave her a prescription for some pills and said she hoped Scamp would feel better. It was a blustery day with occasional rain showers that came thumping down, seemingly from nowhere. We drove to the chemist which is conveniently next to Tesco and while she was in the chemist, I went to get some messages then we drove home and it was just after 10am! Unluckily for Scamp she had just missed the Parcelforce man who was supposed to be delivering a parcel today. Now she’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

We had a late breakfast and I messed about with the computer for a while, bought The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker. Yes, Hazy, you talked me into it and I needed something well written after having ploughed through the latest John Connolly. I used to like his stories, but too much padding, too much history and too little story in this one. After that we watched yesterday’s F1 GP from Austin. Quite and exciting race for once with lots of action and a good finish.

After lunch it was a case of pack up your dance shoes and drive to another tea dance. This one was in Falkirk, in Central Region, hence the cryptic title to this blog. We’d been to a tea dance in Falkirk before the first lockdown, but only one, then everything shut down. That one had been in the Council Offices, but today’s was in a church hall in the centre of Falkirk. Lovely looking church with a reasonably sized hall but the bonus was the live music. A bloke playing an organ, not a keyboard, but an organ with foot pedals and stuff. Apparently he’s an opera singer, but makes a bob or two running tea dances in local churches. He was good, but hadn’t quite got the mark of the clientele. Twice he tried to get people up to dance Scottish country dance tunes. Once couple got up for the first one, but nobody did for the second! Just a bit embarrassing. We did all the dances that I was sure I knew and one or two that I was a bit rust on. Big bonus of this tea dance was that they actually had tea. Gorbals didn’t and that was a black mark against them. Extra big bonus, they had Tunnocks Caramel Wafers and also Snowballs. Scamp was peeved that she didn’t get a snowball. The company was a lot less friendly than other places we’ve been too. Insular or maybe inbred, difficult to tell, but none of the dancers spoke to us. Black mark against them, then.

We had got soaked walking from the carpark to the church, but when we came out the sun was shining. Not so shiny was Falkirk Main Street. If this had been America, there would have been tumbleweed rolling down the streets. Shop after shop was closed and boarded up. These days you only need one or two big shops to close and you’ve started on the slippery slope. It was really depressing. There were a lot of smaller shops on some of the streets off the main street, but some of them were almost certainly on a short let. The only shop that was busy was the big party shop. People were queueing all the way down its frontage, almost all with children in tow, desperate to get their Halloween costumes. We drove home and agreed that we’d go back to the next tea dance in the church, all being well.

Back home there was just enough light to allow a safari to St Mo’s. I got today’s PoD of a spider there. I think that was the last of the light just disappearing.

Dinner was Saturday’s soup with croutons and a pizza to follow. Today’s prompt was ’Splat’. My sketch of a splatted egg got Scamp’s approval with a couple of suggestions that I agree with, but by then it was too late to change things. The sketch this time is drawn on an A2 sheet of cartridge paper. A bit bigger than my usual A5! No eggs were harmed in making this sketch, only virtual ones!

Tomorrow Scamp is booked with the Witches for lunch. I have a few jobs to do in the house and also a prospective drive into the country if weather permits.

 

 

Under the weather – 19 October 2021

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Literally and actually.

Another wet day but I had a job to do today. I had to fix the broken lock on the bathroom window. Found what I needed at the B&Q website, but of course they didn’t have that cheap model in the store, only the dearer ones. I took one anyway after I’d checked that the screw holes in it lined up with the screw holes in the one I’d removed from the window yesterday. Drove back via Tesco for bread and a couple of bunches of carnations to brighten the kitchen and the downstairs toilet. Surprisingly the fitting of the new handle was simplicity itself after I’d confirmed that it could be used on the left side or the right side of the window, some can’t. Job done.

Lunch was a bowl of yesterday’s soup which was fairly tasty and warm. With a couple of slices of bread to dook in it, it was even better, but I wasn’t feeling too great. Aching shoulder from yesterday’s Covid booster jag and also that “coming down with a cold” feeling. Shivery and aching. That too could be from the jags, the flu jag this time. Scamp had a parcel to post to Skye, so that gave me an excuse to go for a walk with her to Condorrat. Came home via St Mo’s and I had a camera with me, so I took some photos although my heart wasn’t in it and it was raining. Best of a bad lot was a nettle that looked like I felt, washed out. That was PoD.

Scamp made dinner tonight which was chicken curry. Chicken Tikka Masala to be more exact. It was good and hot made from a Pataks kit. Another company jumping on the bandwagon that Spice Tailor started. I still think Spice Tailor is the best for range and taste although today’s offering would give them a run for their money. While Scamp was making the dinner, I was trying out my idea for today’s sketch. The prompt was ‘Loop’. Not the most interesting prompt, but it’s what I had to work with. I finally settled on a Mobius strip which is a loop with only one side. Its inside turns out to be its outside too. Just look at the sketch and you’ll get the idea. Follow the little cars and see where they go. It’s a fantasy Formula One race track called the Mobius Loop and yes, the cars do have to travel upside down. That’s what the magnetic tyres and the steel track are for! Following yesterdays lateral thinking again. I won’t say it’s my best sketch, but it’s different and it fulfils the prompt.

Took a couple of paracetamol after dinner and felt better. They’re beginning to wear off now, but I’ll take a couple more before I go to bed. I might even have a wee hot toddy too.

Hopefully meeting Alex tomorrow for a walk around the West End of Glasgow. That should be fun if I’m up to it and I think I will be.