Category: St Mo’s

Dancin’ – 21 December 2023

Posted on by Zogman

We were back to a tea dance today after a long lay off.

First, earlier in the morning I went for a walk in St Mo’s to get a photo or two while Storm Pia was still giving Scotland a severe buffeting. It was gradually powering down, but it was taking quite a while. I was glad I hadn’t been there when Pia was at full strength.

I saw a blackbird fly into a tree and I’m sure he saw me too, but he turned away and tried the “If I can’t see him, he can’t see me” trick. As I took a few steps towards him, he caught me and flew away, but not before I had one more shot. How can birds navigate through that maze of branches? That final shot gave me a PoD. One in the bag on a morning walk. That’s good.

By the time I walked home, I had just enough time for a quick lunch before getting dressed for dancing and then we headed off to Glenburn for the last tea dance of the year. Despite the weather, it was a fairly easy drive to Paisley. The hall wasn’t very busy when we arrived, but the dancers gradually trickled in and the dance started with a waltz. I stumbled through the first track, but by the second it was flowing better. We danced Waltz, Rumba, Cha-Cha and three or four sequence dances. Really, the only one I completely messed up was the Quickstep which I knew I could do. Just not today.

As usual we left a few minutes early to avoid the schools coming out. However, it appeared that the traffic was light on both the M80 and the M74, also, thankfully, the wind had reduced to a normal breeze.

We watched what I thought was a tedious Celebrity Sewing Bee tonight. It was probably the worst of the ‘Christmas’ specials foisted on us these days in the name of entertainment. It’s just a bunch of has-been and never-was ‘celebrities’ getting their faces on the TV again. Bah Humbug!

Tomorrow I believe we need some shopping and there’s a chance we may have a pub lunch later.

Dentist – 20 December 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Today I had an appointment with the dentist and Scamp had a lunch appointment with the other Witches.

My appointment with the dentist was in the morning. The easy part of it was the replacement of a filling that was coming loose, but I wanted her opinion on the big tusk at the back of my mouth that was giving me toothache. She checked it by tapping it with her scraper tool and also by scooting cold water on it and it passed the tests. Just to be sure she did an X-Ray and it came up clean, no sign of an abscess. Scamp thought it was the Edinburgh rock I’m addicted to and that a bit of sugar from it had got into the tooth. The dentist said Scamp is probably right, because teeth are porous (didn’t know that) and the sugar could pass through and cause the pain if it reached the nerve. She put some varnish on it and set it with an ultra-violet light thing. I’ll keep a watchful eye on it for a few days until I forget and go looking for that bag of Edinburgh rock again!

The filling was easily removed and replaced with a shiny new one that I’m hoping to keep for a while and not go poking at. It seem that the NHS are now recommending annual dental checks, not biannual as they were last time I had one. It’s just a cost saving exercise, I know, but at least Scamp and I are on the NHS list, rather than paying the full price as a lot of folk are.

By the time I got home, Scamp was ready to get a lift from Jeanette to Calders where they had a table booked. I had a couple of hours to myself, so I added another wash to the painting I’d been doing. What I SHOULD have done was check what that wash was supposed to do. That way I might have avoided the mess that resulted from adding paint where it shouldn’t go. Not to worry, it was a first attempt and I learned something. I think I now know what I’m meant to do with this second stage, so I might try again tomorrow on a clean sheet.

I decided lunch was on the menu and today it was going to he a Larky favourite of an egg poached in mince. Sounds disgusting? Try it before you condemn it. It’s delicious, especially served on buttered bread.

I thought I’d just enough time for a walk round St Mo’s pond before I lost the light entirely and that was how it turned out. Today’s PoD was a fairly close-up shot of a St John’s Wort plant that’s been growing quite happily through the summer, the rain of autumn and the frost and snow of early winter. I’m surprised that those big flat green leaves didn’t collapse under the weight of the snow last month, but there it is with them and the flowers still intact.

Walked back and hadn’t even taken my boots off when Scamp arrived in Annette’s car. Spoke to Annette about her fairly new hybrid Toyota and she told me she wasn’t impressed with it. Mpg is good, but not brilliant and it’s a bit sluggish on hills. However, we agreed on one thing. It’s much better than the Juke she had before. I think we’ll keep to the Micra for the foreseeable future.

I was just heading out to post the last two Christmas cards and I suggested I might bring back a fish supper for dinner. Scamp agree and that’s what we had. A lazy dinner for a change.

Tomorrow we’re intending to go to the last tea dance of the year. Let’s hope Storm Pia isn’t as bad as predicted.

 

 

Wrong day – 13 December 2023

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I decided I’d go with Scamp to meet Isobel, but there was a problem.

We got a phone call from Hazy this morning. Just a quick call to see how things were. She also suggested we should contact the Ombudsman again since we had heard nothing from them for over fortnight now. It was a fairly short phone call, partly because the cats were misbehaving again.

Scamp and I drove up to Costa on a cold but clear winter day and I dropped her off outside, then went to find a place to squeeze the car into. When I walked in to Costa, Scamp was on the phone and Isobel was nowhere to be seen. It appears that she got her wires crossed and thought that Scamp had said it was Friday they were meeting, not Wednesday. After some discussion, they agreed to leave it until New Year. Probably best.

With that done, Scamp asked me to drop her at the train station and she’d get the train in to Glasgow instead because she had some important business to conduct. After I dropped her off, I drove over to Stirling because she wasn’t the only person with important business that needed sorting out. Unfortunately neither of my articles were available and I was just about to do a solo photo walk when my phone rang. It was Scamp asking for a run home from the station. I explained where I was and that I was on my way back to the car, so could pick her up a bit later. We agreed an hour would give me plenty time to get back to Cumbersheugh and give her enough time for a coffee and a cake. So that’s what we did. I stopped at Tesco on the way to get stuff for lunch, then picked her up at the station.

Lunch for me was half a Ginsters Christmas Special Chicken and Stuffing pasty thing. Not very substantial, but I wasn’t really all that hungry and Scamp had already had coffee and cake in Glasgow. The sun was still shining, so I took a camera over to St Mo’s hoping for something interesting to take. There wasn’t much of interest, but I stood watching a man and a boy flying drones. Amazing height they reach quite quickly, these tiny flying machines. Still, they wouldn’t make much of a picture. What did make the Picture Of the Day was a purple lost glove hanging on an artistic park bench painted pink. I thought the glove and the bench made a good colour combination, plus it was bright and cheerful. We need Bright and Cheerful these days.

Scamp built the Christmas tree today and started adding all the new and old decorations.  We’d brought some decorations back from our summer cruise to Croatia. They are now on the tree.  It’s looking quite delightful. I’m sitting her finishing the blog in the dark and the lights are lovely.
Dinner was fish ’n’ chips. Home made variety. Very nice indeed.

We were dancing at Kirsty’s class later. We thought we were going to start the Foxtrot or maybe reprise the Tango, Waltz Nioli and Quickstep, bit Kirsty had other ideas. It was three different sequence dances. Just good fun dances we did. Lots of folk in the class tonight and we were definitely kept busy. No more classes until next year!

We watched the semi-final of Portrait Artist later and wonder what is in the heads of the judges. They chose two awful paintings and one decent one. Heaven knows what they’ll paint for the final.

Early shout tomorrow because I’ve a morning telephone consultation with the doc about my review results. After that, maybe shopping.

 

 

Coffee again – 6 December 2023

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Out in the morning for the third time this week, but this time it was both of us who were going out.

Scamp was heading for Glasgow to find an undisclosed purchase and I was going for a coffee. I gave Scamp a lift to the station and then managed to pick up a box of Christmas cards and had just enough time to write them before the meeting began

I was meeting Colin and John for coffee in Costa. I think I’ve had my fill now of poor coffee. Not terrible, just not good coffee. But I did have a good blether with Colin and John. I laughed when one of my FPs (Former Pupils) walked past pushing a pram, and who then did a double take at the sight of at least two of her former teachers sitting there. Even worse, she returned to the counter with another FP, presumably to corroborate her discovery that we were still in the land of the living!

After about an hour and a half we were talked out and went our separate ways. I drove home through what must have been freezing fog, I reckon. It certainly wasn’t very pleasant to drive through. I’d had the fog lights on earlier in the day, but didn’t need them on the way back.

After footering about for a while back home and once again praising a central heating system that keeps the living room at a comfortable temperature, I was just thinking about heading over to St Mo’s to grab some misty, if not foggy photos when a message from Scamp arrived on my phone to tell me she was on the bus home. That’s when I realised I was supposed to be making soup for dinner and I hadn’t started it yet.

The early warning gave me about 45 minutes to get going. It was another “What have we got that’s worth cooking” soup which finally settled down to be Leek, Red Pepper, Carrot, Turnip and Kale soup with a handful of Broth Mix added in for good measure. By the time Scamp arrived the soup was simmering nicely and I did go out with the A7 to get some photos.

There had been fog in the morning, but by the time I was in St Mo’s, it had dissipated and the temperature was dropping just like the weather fairies had said. The fog had left a light film of moisture on the branches and berries on the bushes and as the temperature dropped below zero, that moisture became spikes of ice crystals. Very pretty to look at but very cold. I got a few photos of them, but PoD went to a crop of a shot of wildfowl on St Mo’s pond. The crop made it look, to my eyes, like a sort of panorama. I was quite pleased with it. However a black & white image of a man and his dog walking over the boardwalk got more attention on Flickr.

No dance practise tonight because the teacher is crocked. She twisted her ankle when she was out walking her dogs at luchtime.  That’s a pity, because I’m getting to like her style and her classes.  Maybe next week.

We watched the final episode of Shetland and found out who the murderer was as well as discovering how the sorry tale unwound itself. Clever writing, producing, acting and scenery. I’m beginning to feel that I know what Shetland looks like now.

Tomorrow Scamp is out again for lunch this time with Mags and I may take the opportunity to do some painting or to go in to Glasgow. It depends on the weather!

It’s thawing – 4 December 2023

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Finally the rain was falling this morning and the snow was on the back foot.

Snow is great fun if you’re a youngster, but for the rest of us, it’s just something we have to work with until the rain comes or the temperature rises. Thankfully, the rain came today and the snow is all but gone.

I was out this morning for coffee with Fred. We met in Tesco and had a good hour or so’s blether about anything, but mainly we both just had a right good moan about everything. The coffee wasn’t all that bad, certainly better than a standard Costa coffee, but nothing to write home about. When we were done, we bumped into each other again and again doing the shopping round the store, but Fred was pushing a trolley and I was just carrying a basket, so I was finished first by a long way. We said “Cheerio’ and I drove home under a sky that was clearing quite nicely. Then it rained!

After lunch I finally decided that the weather was improving and I headed over to St Mo’s to see what effect the rain was having on the snow. Actually, the hard packed snow on the paths was almost all gone. Whereas in the areas where the snow was undisturbed, was where it was lingering the most. There is probably a good scientific reason for that, there always is, but I don’t understand it.

Back home and after a first run through the photos to weed out the weak shots and the no-hopers, I did a bit of post processing and one or two shots came out looking quite presentable. A wide angle shot over the pond got PoD.

Dinner was another “What have we got in the fridge” sauce with penne pasta. I wasn’t all that impressed with the result, but Scamp was. So I’ll accept that praise.

Today I did the climb up into the loft to find The Snowman table cover that has to come down early and be rolled out on the floor to allow the warmth in the room to soften out all the creases. As I’m sitting looking at it just now, it’s almost perfectly flat again after almost a year in the cold. I suppose being a Snowman table cover it will be used to the cold.

Tomorrow I have another morning appointment, but this time it’s at at the doc’s for may annual check-up. I’m sure the sister will have questions to ask me and I have a few to ask her. Apart from that, we have no plans for tomorrow, but I have a bag of sweeties that I’m hoping I can plunder when I get back!

Happy Birthday Hazy – 2 December 2023

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Happy Birthday Hazy.

Unbeknown to us, during the night, Mother Nature had seen fit to dump at least 40mm of snow on us. We didn’t ask for it, but then again, we didn’t pay for it, but it would have been only polite to tell us that it was coming. Admittedly, the weather fairies had been telling us for a week or so that it was snow was on the way, but to paraphrase Lou Reed “You can’t alway believer your weather fairies.”

As well as that, it was Hazy’s birthday today. That gives me yet another chance to say Happy Birthday Hazy! As if I needed another opportunity for that. Once Scamp and I had sung the obligatory Happy Birthday song we had a chance to sit and talk to her. Our conversation covered many topics like Neil getting ready to go to a wedding and bow ties for koalas. Just don’t ask. It would take too long to explain it. That was a great way to start the day.

I was fairly eager to go out and get some photos in the snow. Only ’fairly’ because I was eager to take some photos, but the weather machine was predicting low temperatures. But I dressed for the season and even wore my knee length gaiters, as well as boots, lined walking trousers, thick cardigan and double layer Berghaus jacket. If you’ve got to face the frozen snowy wastes of Scotland, do it comfortably.

The road into St Mo’s hadn’t been ploughed or gritted and was treacherous to walk on, as was the norm. The paths with the less hard packed snow was easier to walk on and I love the Crump, Crump, Crump as the snow moves on the boardwalk. Three lenses with me. One long, one medium and one very short. All were used and over 70 photos taken. For once, not very many of them were rejected in the first cull, but I’m sure more will follow on the second run through. PoD went to a photo of a lone tree in a grassy area of St Mo’s. The tree has a lovely shape, bent and twisted, and it stood out well against the sky. It was a good walk, but even although I was well wrapped up, I was feeling the cold when I was walking home.

Two pieces ‘n’ flat sausage for lunch warmed me up and so did the big long radiator in the living room. Most of the afternoon was spent raking through the photos and finding a group of them good enough for Flickr. Eventually I settled of three.

Dinner tonight was re-heated chilli from Thursday. It tasted good, but I had to agree with Scamp that it lacked texture. Certainly worth trying again.

We watched ‘Strictly’ and, as usual, disagreed with panel’s votes.

Tomorrow if the roads are clear we may go out for a run somewhere. Somewhere not too snowy if that’s possible.

Cold – 29 November 2023

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The outside temperature this morning was two below zero.

Scamp was going out to meet Isobel and I was staying home with the intention of going over to St Mo’s to get some morning photos. I had a couple of ideas that I wanted to try.

I did get the photo I wanted, but, as usual it was a different one that got PoD. The winner was a photo of a piece of Oak Moss in a tree. I’t’s called Oak Moss, but it doesn’t just grow on Oak trees and it isn’t a moss. It’s a lichen. It was a once round the pond walk this morning, because the temperature hadn’t lifted by much and I was glad to get back to a warm house.

When Scamp arrived we had a plate of the lentil soup she made yesterday. We had bought rolls yesterday and hadn’t got round to eating any of them, so I had the idea of warming them up in the oven while the soup was warming in the pot. The heat from the oven did warm the rolls and also crisped up the outside skin of them.

We needed some fresh fish for tonight’s dinner and we also needed crème fraîche and white wine. The wine was for cooking with, I must stress that ;-). We walked to the shops to get the requirements and I was glad I’d got some photos in the morning and could just walk home. I was making Cod and Prawns with Fennel and White Wine. It’s a favourite in the house when we can get fennel, because it’s just not the same without its aniseed taste. Tonight it could have done with some extra salt I thought. Scamp said it was only the fish that needed salt. We can never agree with food!

Kirsty’s dance class was down to three couples or two and a half if we’re going to split hairs because one of the girls doesn’t have a partner but Kirsty stepped in to complete the three couples. We danced the Quickstep to begin with, breaking it down into three stages, then joined the three together to form the complete dance. Scamp had a bright idea of raising the tempo and we almost managed a full track at near typical Quickstep speed. I was impressed that I only really made one mistake.
Next was a reprise of the Tango and I know we’re going to argue a bit about the steps in this dance, but a variation that Kirsty put in seemed to simplify it. I could be wrong, and I usually am, but I’m sticking to what the teacher said!
Next was a simple new waltz that felt quite like our “Baby Waltz”. It was was easy and we managed it without difficulty, so we were told to do the Waltz Nioli instead. We finished up with Rumba One, a sequence dance we can do quite well. That was a full dance class today and a good reprise for those who are going to a ball at the weekend. We joined too late to get a ticket, but I don’t think either of us were all that interested.

Watched an episode of “Shetland” and became more confused about who was doing what to whom. Great series.

Tomorrow Scamp is booked for lunch, this time with Denise. Her son flies helicopters, real ones! I’m intending writing to Alex and hopefully to Val.

Another cold day – 28 November 2023

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I suppose that’s the weather we should expect as we near the end of November.

Yes, we are nearing the end of November and the mercury in the thermometer is dropping. Today was fairly bright to start with. We went shopping in Tesco. I don’t think either of us were all that bothered with going far from home. That’s one of he benefits of staying in Cumbersheugh, there are plenty of shops. Not the most interesting shops and sometimes the selection isn’t all that great, but at least we are covered for the essentials of bread, milk, fish, meat and vegetables. As Scamp is ofter heard to say, “We won’t starve.” We should consider ourselves lucky. On the way home we stopped at Greggs for a Chicken Bake each for lunch and a surprise of a custard doughnut for afters.

I’d intended cutting my hair today, but decided it was too cold in the back bedroom to start any of that nonsense. I suppose I could have been brave and started the initial chopping in the living room, but even a Number 4 would have made for colder walks in this weather when we’re being told do expect -4ºc tonight. Maybe next week, then.

After my lunch had slid down I did take myself out for a walk in St Mo’s just as the sun was getting low. Not too low though, there was still enough light to stretch the shadows of the now skinny looking trees that have lost all of their leaves. But PoD went to a hardy lady jogger who did three circuits of St Mo’s pond. When she passed me on her third time round, I took a few shots and then went home with the hope that I could make a picture of it. It took a bit of time and a fair bit of jiggery pokery in Lightroom to get the effect I wanted, but I was happy with the result. Also on Flickr is a shot of the windows of the College of Building and Printing on Cathedral Street in Glasgow. It seems that it is a category ‘B’ listed building and therefore cannot be demolished, not can it be ‘messed about with’ too much. According to what I’ve read, it is being turned into a business hotel. Just now it’s a ruin, but I liked the patterns of the windows.

Scamp was chef tonight and we had Mac ’n’ Cheese with a couple of slices of streaky bacon on top. Maybe not her best, but far better than I would have made.

Also on the subject of food, we watched the final of Bake Off. I won’t tell you who won, but I will give this spoiler: It was one of the blokes! Not surprising as it was an all male final.

More plotting and planning between the ladies of the family booking our summer house and dealing with the financial side of things. WhatsApp was working overtime when I was out walking.

A quick practise of the quickstep again tonight.  I think I’ve mastered the turns and the steps and even the Twinkle, it’s just the speed of the steps that makes it difficult for me.  I seriously believe I will get better once I stop thinking about what I’m doing and just leave my feet to get on with it.  In the end, it’s all to do with muscle memory.

As I said earlier, the temperature is forecast to drop to around -4ºc tonight. Scamp is planning to meet Isobel for coffee tomorrow. Other than that, no plans.

 

 

 

Glasgow again – 27 November 2023

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Today we drove in to Glasgow, just for a change.

Actually we drove to The Fort today, but couldn’t find what we were looking for there and the place was really quite busy for a Monday morning. Even the gigantic car park at The Fort was nearly full. So we changed our plans and drove down the M8 to Glasgow which was busy, but not as busy as The Fort.

We took a walk through the Buchanan Galleries and then down Buchanan Street before we went for a walk round the partly assembled Christmas market in George Square. Not nearly as many stalls as usual and an ice rink that is a ’work in progress’. That is, not quite finished yet. A bit disappointing, really. Coffee in the new Nero Coffee House which is unlike most Neros in that it is light and airy with none of the dark stained wood most of them have. Quite impressive! Scamp had her usual Single Shot, Extra Hot, Latte and I had an Americano with hot milk on the side. Unfortunately I also had the new Christmas blend which I found bitter an unpleasant. I won’t be having that again.

It was a lovely day with bright sky and a few clouds. On the walk back to the car I got today’s PoD which was a bunch of weeds growing out of a poorly maintained brick wall. I liked the limited sharpness of the picture thanks to the new lens’s wide aperture. It’s amazing the difference a decent lens makes.

There was just enough light when we got home to make me want to get another photo or two in St Mo’s, but by then the light was failing and it had started to rain. I gave it two circuits of the pond and walked home.

I was on dinner duty today and it was Pasta Carbonara tonight. I carefully separated one egg yolk from the white and then added another two full eggs to the cup before I accidentally tipped it over on the worktop! Surely this wasn’t going to be another Disaaaaster Day! I managed to save most of the eggs and got them back into the cup, but then I had the mess on the worktop to clean up and egg white is such a sticky horrible thing to clean up. But in the end the carbonara was ok, just ok, but edible and the kitchen was back to normal again.

None of the photos I took were really good, so the Urban Garden retained its PoD status. I’m still working on another shot from Glasgow that might make it into Flickr tomorrow.

I think between Hazy and Simonne we’ve managed to find and book a cottage for a week next summer. That’s another little brightener to give us all something to look forward to. Thank you very much ladies for all your research work.

No quickstep practise tonight, but maybe some tomorrow if we’re not too busy.

Other than that, no plans for tomorrow other than a bit of light shopping, all being well.

A Dreich Day – 26 November 2023

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A early walk in St Mo’s today, hoping against hope that there would be enough frost left to allow me to get my picture, but knowing that there wouldn’t be. I was right. There wasn’t. However I did get the PoD which is a photo of a gaggle of geese, a pair of swans, innumerable mallards and one cormorant that thought it fitted right in and that nobody would notice. Even the ducks were laughing. The rest of the walk brought no more photo opportunities and it was one of those damp colds that seems to eat into your bones, so I walked home and found Scamp talking to Hazy on the phone.

After Scamp and Hazy had completed their discussions, I had a chance to talk to Hazy. Just talking about the weather, cats and how the ‘down south’ folks were getting on. Then it was time for Hazy to have a snooze and time for our lunch.

Today’s lunch and dinner were from the far famed “What have we got in the fridge and freezer” collection. Scamp’s lunch was yesterday’s potatoes fried with some baby tomatoes and a chopped up black pudding with an beaten egg to bind them together. Mine was the remains of a pack of padron peppers, a slice of spiced beef ham, a slice of bacon and a trio of baby tomatoes. Both lunches filled a space and, well, mine at least were delicious.

While Scamp watched a recording of Laura Kuenssberg’s Sunday politics show, I started the post processing of today’s scant collection of photos. Sometimes I enjoy the cut and thrust of Kuenssberg’s verbal fencing, other times, like today, I just can’t be bothered. I struggled for over an hour with one of the photos of some raindrops on a grass stem before I thought to myself “Why?”. Do you like it? Is it worth the effort? The answers were No and No, so I left it.

By mid afternoon it was time to raid the freezer again and this time Scamp found a large fillet of salmon and I found two beef olives. Both needed time in a warm place to defrost and then thaw out, so we left them to it. While Scamp booked us a week in the sun. Not tomorrow, and not next week either, but it’s booked now and the parking is too. With judicious use of Black Friday offers and discounts from last year’s holiday we cut a fair chunk out of the price. It’s nice to think, as the days get shorter and the snow is forecast by the weather fairies, that there are still warm places we can go to.

Watched the final Grand Prix of the year and of course the usual suspect won. It is almost as if they are working to a script, either that or some of the cars are powered by Sublight engine thrusters.

Spoke to Jamie and got him up to speed with our complaint to British Gas and the power of having an Ombudsman on your side. Heard about the problems dealing with English Heritage who seem to be working with quill pens on parchment. Although some of the more advanced drawings are done with fountain pens and paper.  It’s hard to believe what some of these people ask folk to do.

Tomorrow we may go out for a run to warm the car up and maybe get an ES daylight bulb for my new lamp.