Category: St Mo’s

Out for a drive – 6 January 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Just messages and some printer paper, not much else.

While I was buying the printer paper in Curry’s, Scamp was looking at fridges upstairs in the shop, but she wasn’t impressed with the selection. I still sense a purchase may be imminent. I’m surprised a freezer isn’t also on the purchase list. I’m actually surprised that we need a fridge and/or a freezer. I believe if we built a box in the back garden and filled it with what’s in the fridge we could keep them at sub zero temperatures in Scotland for the foreseeable future.

From Coatbridge, we went to Morrisons at The Fort and that was just for messages and a couple of bottles of beer and a couple of bottles of wine. The roads were cleared of snow and ice, but the pavements were covered in frozen snow and ice.

After lunch I managed to get out to take some photos, but the light was getting low and although I got a few sunset photos, they weren’t the best quality. I really need to get out and take time to take photos. I feel I’ve just been snapping shots to cover the 365 and that’s not what it was intended to do. Soooo, I’m intending to continue with blog posts, but I might be more selective with the photos. If I don’t think a particular day’s photos aren’t worth posting, I’ll replace it with one taken from earlier in the year, or even from last year.  After all, it’s my 365, so my rules!

Hoping for some warmer, or less cold weather tomorrow.

A Coot goes for a walk – 5 January 2025

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Like most of  the days recently, Very little happened today.

We did get some snow, but although it lay for a while there wasn’t a great deal of it. Not even enough to make a tiny wee snowman.

Scamp had finished a complicated jigsaw with the strangest looking pieces made of thin plywood. They looked and smelled like they had been laser cut, but I think their laser must have been blunt because the gaps between the pieces were much wider than from an ordinary jigsaw.

I went for a walk in St Mo’s with the A6500 toting a 70-180mm lens. I got a few good few shots with the combination and most of them were of birds wandering about  on the frozen ice of St Mo’s pond.  PoD went to a Coot walking across the snow covered ice, looking like it was just about to fall into a hole in the ice.

Spoke to Jamie in the evening an heard about Simonne’s upcoming visit to warmer climes and the weather.

Tomorrow I’ve more ideas for fixing this poor maligned iMac.

I told you there wasn’t much happening!

Winter is coming – 2 January 2025

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Well, that’s more or less what the weather fairies said.

It was frosty this morning when I was making the breakfast. The weather machine in the living room read -3.3ºc and it looked like that at the backdoor. Frosted grass and the blue tits taking turns to feed from the fat brick hanging from the rowan tree.

We decided it was time to lag the overflow pipe from the boiler. Scamp came up with the idea of using an old piece of expanded PVA foam to do the job and once I’d cut it to size and wrapped it round the pipe with cable ties holding it in place, it looked the part. I don’t expect it will get so far below zero, but it’s better to be ready, just in case.

My brain must have been working on the problem of getting last year’s catalog and photos out of the iMac and into my old external hard drive, because I came up with an inelegant solution that will do the job until I can figure out a better way or I am forced into buying a new computer. No point in explaining it here, but I’ve left myself a note explaining the procedure in case I have to do it all again next year DV. What amazed me was how much the hard drive slowed down the procedure. Old tech.

I went for a walk in the early afternoon, partly to get some photos and partly to clear my head of computer nonsense. I walked down past St Mo’s pond and got today’s PoD which was a bunch of grass leaves poking out of a frozen pond. As I said on Flickr *”Crouched down on the edge of a frozen pond in sub zero temperature, photographing grass. Is it any wonder Photogs get a bad name!”

From there I walked down behind St Mo’s school and on to the shops where I got some fruit for Scamp and a lovely soft Mothers Pride loaf which, with a couple of bananas fed us for lunch.

I think we’re all going soft. I have lost count of the number of weather warnings I’ve had on my phone for SNOW. It doesn’t seem that long ago, snow was expected every January and February. Now the news broadcasts make it sound as if it’s something unusual and something to be frightened of. It all seems a bit sensational. We live in Scotland we expect snow.

No definite plans for tomorrow, but I might have a look at getting a hot air blower to heat up my cold room, allso we will soon need a box of photo paper to make calendars. All that, if we don’t get trapped in a snow drift! 😉

The first day of a new year – 1 January 2025

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It’s always a pain in the backside for a variety of reasons.

You have to parcel up the previous years photos and catalogs and save them off somewhere safe before you build a new catalog and populate it with new photos. This year it was made even more difficult by Apple changing the rules again for third party apps. Which meant I wasn’t able to use my NTFS based storage drive to save the last month’s catalog and photos. I’ve got another way of doing it, but it takes up computer time and my patience. It’s half done, but that will have to be good enough for now.

The actual day was a wild mixture of torrential rain driven by strong winds in the morning, sleet in the afternoon and now everything is calm for a while now, but the temperature is below zero and that means ice to contend with tomorrow. However, I did get some photos over at St Mo’s and PoD was what are sometimes called Cleavers (Sticky Willies in Scotland) and are really irritating little balls covered in tiny hooks that attach to your clothes, especially woollen clothes.

Dinner tonight was vegetarian “Mince and Tatties” for Scamp and Steak and Kidney stew for me followed by Sponge with a Salted Caramel Sauce and Brandy Cream. I’m beginning to regret it now and may have to break out the Gaviscon before I go to bed.

I’m hoping for a walk on a clear day tomorrow, with no ice nor snow nor rain, but the chances of getting away with it are very unlikely.

Goodbye 2024 – 31 December 2024

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A bit wet and windy for the last day in 2024.

The morning was devoted to cleaning up the dining room table and it did look better for a while before I messed it up again, but I did get two of my three targets on my To Do list ticks off and another one partially ticked off. It’s an on going list of shortcuts to use in Lightroom.

It wasn’t a day for going out anywhere, even if it was the last day of 2024, but of course I managed an hour out in the park, because that’s what I do. Managed to get two half decent photos, one of which with a bit of jiggery pokery became PoD. It’s a view down that path I’m addicted to. This time it’s sepia toned with a couple of spots of colour to catch the eye.

I bumped into an old friend from school in the park and we walked around St Mo’s discussing the world and our various aches and pains. It’s been ages since I’ve seen her and I thought she was looking a lot older – she probably thought the same of me. We said our goodbyes as the light was failing, she headed back to the park to walk her dog and I plodded off home. Hope you get better soon Susan.

Dinner tonight was a pizza from M&S that was getting near its use by date, but a tin of anchovies on it cheered it up nicely.

I think that is as much as I’m going to do tonight. I might read another chapter of the book Hazy gave me. Really enjoying it H. You always pick such good books. Strange, but interesting too.

We might treat ourselves to a glass of something to see in the bells. I pity the poor folk in Edinburgh who have had their fireworks display cancelled at the last minute because of the high winds and torrential rain that’s predicted for tonight. Or the Australian couple we met on that ill fated train on Friday who were going to Edinburgh hoping to travel to Inverness for “The Bells”. Hope you managed to get there in all the snow, rain, thunder and gusty winds.

That’s about it for now. Hope all our lot and anyone else who reads my ramblings are well and have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

 

Blustery day – 29 December 2024

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A windy day with quite fierce gusts.

Scamp was feeling better today. I don’t know what it was that caused all the bother, but it did seem to take the feet from her. Hopefully she’s on the mend now.

We walked down to M&S in the afternoon. Scamp got some Kimchi and a tub of Kefir yoghurt, both of which seem to be good for gut health. On the way back I carried the bag halfway home and Scamp took it the rest while I went for a walk in the gusty wind over St Mo’s and got a photo of a little mushroom. That made PoD.

We watched a complicated and almost totally unbelievable first of two episodes of The Split, a series we’d watched for the last two years. This one however felt just a little bit fake. We may watch episode 2 tomorrow.

Spoke to Jamie in the evening and did our best to explain the chaos that was Friday. Hopefully we never have another day like that again. He agrees that we need to write a letter of complaint to LNER.

Another recovery day today, but snow forecast for Wednesday.

The gas man cometh – 18 December 2024

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Today we were waiting in for the boiler engineer to come and sign off our water boiler for another year.

Thankfully he didn’t arrive dead on 9am but knocked on the door an hour later when we were properly awake. He didn’t take long to clean out the boiler and certify it until next year, all being well.

That left Scamp me just enough time to run Scamp up to the town centre under a clearing sky to meet Isobel. While they were having coffee and a blether, I started putting everything back into the boiler cupboard. We’d decided that there were too many jackets hanging behind the cupboard door and we had to dispose of some and put others in long term storage, which is almost the same as disposing of them. I’d visited Tesco on my way home and brought home some essentials like milk and bread.

Scamp arrived not long after I’d finished and we had some lunch. I was about to dig out my boots and go for a walk but Hazy phoned and I wanted to speak to her, so delayed my walk. Scamp spent a while talking to her about her travels to Manchester and faulty buses. I asked her about the difficulties of moving Android data to iPhones. We were both glad that Neil is finally getting recognition for the work he does outside school hours.

There was just enough light left to take some photos over at St Mo’s pond and I’d brought some cabbage leaves to feed the waterfowl. Well, attempting to feed them. apparently they hadn’t had the memo about green leaf veg being good for them. They sailed past along to a bloke who was feeding them bread.You’ll regret this later waterfowl! A low level shot of the mixture of birds on the pond today made PoD.

It took me about an hour, probably more to copy the data from an almost full micro SD and paste it into a shiny new and much larger one Mr Bezos was kind enough to send us by Royal Mail, free of charge. Hopefully that’s the last of the computer work I’ll have to do for a while.

We watched the finale of the Portrait Artist of the Year and watched Brogan Bertie paint his version of Lorraine Kelly. It wasn’t the worst painting I’ve seen on this program, but it wasn’t great either. So different, it was from his work in the heats, I began to wonder if there was a ghost painter somewhere. Just thinking out loud. I must ask Fred for his opinion.

Tomorrow Scamp is OUT AGAIN. This time she’s intending meeting her pal Mags for lunch. I might go looking for a new shaver.

A day to relax – 16 December 2024

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Both of us used today as a recovery day after yesterday’s dramas. If that means nothing to you, read yesterday’s blog.

I noticed today that the sun hardly rose behind the houses facing us. In all the years we’ve lived in this house, this is the first time I’ve noticed it. Maybe it’s me who is shrinking. That’s the only logical way to explain it.

In the afternoon I went for a walk round St Mo’s, but by the time I’d completed one circuit, the light was visibly low in the sky and the camera had to be put away after taking just three shots!

I walked down to the shops to get some Basil because neither of us could find the full jar that’s somewhere in the house. Of course, I bought a lot more things as well. I bought a glass jar of dried basil in M&S for around £1.25 and then noticed a similar quantity of basil in a not so posh looking glass jar in Life for 65p. Almost half the price of M&S. Now, basil is basil. I don’t believe there is much difference in quality and no difference in quantity. It’s just something you sprinkle on pasta. I might need to put my Captain Clipboard hat on and query the price difference, doing blind taste tests and maybe even buy a microscope to compare samples. I might even know someone who has access to all that equipment. I might have to speak to him.

Spoke to Jamie later and heard about their plans for next week. A walk along the sea shore sounds good on your day off. Glad he’s got his door finished and painted at last. Hope his Captain Clipboard approves of the correct shade of white!

The previous part of the blog was written hours before this next part.

Scamp had started to download the photos of her Manchester trip into OneDrive when it all went a bit tricky. Only a fraction of the photos made it from her phone to the computer. We both worked on it and eventually, after a couple of hours managed to tease out the knots in this problem. Just after midnight we had three different folders on a memory stick and they held most, if not all of the photos. It still amazes me how a simple slip of a finger can cause so much mayhem, but it all worked out in the end. That is the reason you didn’t have a blog to read this morning. Sorry. To think that I started writin this blog with “A day to relax”! Little did I know.

PoD was a drab looking photo of St Mo’s that mirrored a drab day. It’s Scotland, what did you expect.

Tomorrow we might go in to Glasgow.

 

Coffee and Cake Cancelled – 13 December 2024

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I said yesterday that Shona had invited us to Costa for coffee and cake. It was cancelled.

Scamp got a message from Shona just after 9am to say that Ben had refused to go to school. That means he’ll be home all day and the Costa visit was cancelled.That sort of messed up our morning, but not as much as it messed up Shona’s morning. Poor soul was looking forward to a relaxing morning, heaven know she deserves it.

To make use of the day, Scamp and I drove up to Tesco and bought a trolley load of food (and drink) and then drove home for lunch. Which turned out to be Wednesday’s soup.

Later in the afternoon, but not too late, I put my boots on and took a camera out for a walk in St Mo’s. Scamp was walking down to the shops, so I joined her for most of the walk down to M&S, then left to go round St Mo’s pond a couple of times. Not a lot to see, but the thaw had come and all the frosted trees had little droplets of frost melt. One of those photos made PoD. Scamp says it looks like a cartoon horse’s head. It took me a while to see it, but now I can’t unsee it!!

Dinner tonight was paella and it actually tasted quite good for a change. The only mistake I made was putting the prawns in too early, resulting in Rubber Prawns. Not very nice to eat.

Watched the semi-final of Portrait Artist of the Year and wasn’t surprised to see a truly awful painting make it to the final three. I think I now know who is going to win, unfortunately.

Scamp is hoping to go on a overnight tomorrow with the other Witches. That means an early rise for me too!

Fog – 10 December 2024

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This morning the sky was clear when I was making breakfast. It didn’t last!

An hour later everything was covered in a thick freezing fog. However, it did gradually thin down and I took out the A6500 with the kit lens and the Tamron too. I just went over to St Mo’s and did a circuit of the pond. It wasn’t all that successful. The fog kept coming and going, thickening and thinning. I did get a few photos, but even the thin fog wasn’t as clear as it had been a week ago.
It was also really cold. I must look out a pair of full finger gloves. The fingerless ones are fine when the weather is cool in winter, but my fingers freeze up on really cold, sub zero days like today. I might have a look for a pair tomorrow if I meet up with Alex.

It’s been a tradition that we go in to Glasgow to photograph the lights in George Square at Christmas. I must admit I do get bored with wandering around taking photos of the same lights as last year, especially when it’s cold. Even with my new down jacket and my insulated walking trousers, the cold will manage to find a way in.

Scamp and I were in Glasgow yesterday and we thought there were fewer than normal stands and food outlets. Maybe I’ll be able to convince Alex that St Enoch’s will be a better target for our cameras. It seems to have taken over from George Square.

Well, the tree is up. The decorations are in place and the Letter has been opened and read and the Snowman table cover is on the table. I think it must be nearly Christmas.

The PoD went to a shot of frosted Cow Parsley seed heads, complete with spider webs, I saw on my walk over to St Mo’s this cold morning.

Tomorrow, as I said, I’m hoping to meet Alex in the bus station in Glasgow. Where we go after that will hopefully be revealed tomorrow evening, all being well.