Category: St Mo’s

Testing Time – 2 March 2017

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Out just before 8am to take the car to the garage for its MOT.  It was looking good after its wash and brush up yesterday.  One of the good things about having a wax wash was that I didn’t really have to scrape the ice from the windscreen, all I had to do was wipe it off.  It’s probably worth the extra 50p for the wax.

After we got home from the garage and had breakfast, I got my selection of photos for Fred and Val ready, then Scamp gave me a lift to the town centre.  Usual coffee and setting the world to rights was put on hold because Costa’s coffee machine was out of order.  After an hour or so the repair was completed and it was business as normal.  Having achieved a quorum of the UBI club, we arranged a prospective date for a meeting, so at least something was done.

I got the phone call to come and collect the car, because once again it had passed as fit for the road with a couple of advisories.  We had completed the UBI business and finished our coffee, so I phoned Scamp and picked up the car.

Went for a walk to St Mo’s and got the two swift shots of Mr Grey before turning for home, because it was a really cold wind.   Scamp made Prawn & Pea Risotto for dinner and we tried the coconut ice cream, but declared it wanting, so it will go down the pan when its all melted.  We think it would taste better made from cream rather than yoghurt.

I’m beginning to miss the sketch-a-day I’ve been doing for the last month, and really need to get back putting pen to paper.  I may get the chance tomorrow, but we’ll have to see how the day pans out first.

Storm Doris – 23 February 2017

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We didn’t actually have Storm Doris, we just had the snow that she was dragging with her.  Woke to a winter wonderland.  Lovely white snow everywhere.  Unfortunately Fred and Val and I were supposed to be going for coffee this afternoon, but when Fred sent me a text at about 10am, I knew it was bad news.  He couldn’t get out of his estate and as there is no bus service there, we agreed to postpone.  I phoned Val to tell him the bad news, I don’t think he was all that impressed, but if there’s one thing that retirement is good for, it’s not having to go out when you don’t feel like it, and we didn’t feel like it.

Sat around for a while watching the snow quickly turn to slush. Put the cases up in the loft.  Defrosted a couple of loaves and set them to rise.  Had the rest of the soup for lunch.  Walked over to Condorrat and then back through St Mo’s but found little to photograph, eventually settling on water droplets on the trees.

It was a bit of a wasted day, really.  Finally settled on snow as a subject for today’s sketch.  Even that took two attempts and by that time the snow was almost gone, but a bit of a watercolour wash rescued the few pen lines I used and made it look decent enough.

Bread looks as if it’s baked well.  Made one loaf into rolls and they look and smell a bit like Jaime’s Hop Bread.

Sitting eating Jub Jubs – sweeties from Triniday.  Jub Jub was my mum’s word for gums or jellies.

Tomorrow we will, hopefully, go out.  Somewhere.  Anywhere.

Out To Lunch – 10 January 2017

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This morning, over a cup of coffee, we discussed what to do with the day.  We decided to go out for lunch because it was fairly bright.  The reason we gave was that we needed to get some compost to plant up the spider plants that have been languishing in water on the back window sill and we could get that at a garden centre and most garden centres have cafés now.  Devious, eh?   We had to drive through the roadworks going on all round the ring road.  Everywhere had closed signs and everywhere had diversion signs, sometime contradictory signs, but lots of them except where they’d be helpful.  Well, you’ve got to use the “Twenty seven 8×10 full colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one …”  (Alice’s Restaurant – Arlo Guthrie).  After we’d manoeuvred our way through the barriers, I thought we would drive to the garden centre out by Killearn, but the weather that way looked very rough.  Dark clouds and what looked like heavy rain.  The weather closer to home had deteriorated too, so we changed our plans and went to Dobbies at Bearsden instead.  As is usual in garden centres these days there are franchises and Dobbies now has an Edinburgh Woollen Mill within its shopping area.  I got another warm winter shirt – you can’t have too many shirts.  After lunch and after buying the compost, we drove home through brightening skies again.

By the time we got home the skies had cleared and blue sky was once again in charge.  While Scamp phoned her Cumbernauld sister, I took the chance to get some photos over at St Mo’s.  By the time I got over there, the sun was sinking, but the blue sky was still there.  Just a few shots in the bag, but enough for a PoD and then some backup.

I think we’re driving Scamp and her sister to Glasgow Airport on Thursday and it will be a fairly early rise.  It’s only her sister who is flying down to a funeral in Bristol, but Scamp’s going in to the airport with her to provide much needed moral support.  Hopefully I’ll have an hour or so in Glasgow to get this week’s sketch done.  Tomorrow, however, is free so far.  Weather looks wild.  Strong winds and the possibility of snow with more due on Thursday.  Oh what fun, but the combination might provide some interesting photo opportunities.

First sketch of 2017 – 3 January 2017

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Ordered a sewing machine last week to progress my dressmaking skills. Ordered it from John Lewis in Emba because the Glasgow shop didn’t have it.  I thought it could be delivered to the Glasgow store and I could pick it up from there.  No, they couldn’t do that because the machine was in the Embra shop, not in a warehouse (?)  Maybe that’s a logical reason to JL, but it made no sense to me.  Anyway I wasn’t in a rush to get it and there was no way I was going to drive through Embra to pick it up.  I was told it would be delivered within five working days.  I phoned the Embra shop this morning to find out which day it would be delivered.  Here is a synopsis of the conversation after I’d explained that I wanted to know which day it would arrive:

“It will be delivered within five working days”
“Could you be more precise” I asked?
“Eh no.  We don’t actually deliver it.  Because it’s a small article, it will be delivered by a carrier.” *
“So will I get a phone call or an email to tell me which day it will be delivered?”
*“No, but it will be delivered either today, tomorrow or the next day”
Now surprising as it might seem, I can count to five and then add on the extra days for weekends and holidays.
“So you’re telling me that in a company as large as John Lewis, and in this day and age, you can’t tell me the DAY that my sewing machine will be delivered?”
”Yes, that’s correct.”
“Well, that wasn’t very helpful at all.”

Now, remind me.  This is the 21st century, isn’t it?  Imagine if I was working and had to take five days off my work on the off chance that my sewing machine was going to be delivered that day.  I’ve bought a lot of stuff from JL in  the past, but I’m afraid those days are now in the past.  I had thought of buying an iMac from them because they offer an extra year’s warranty, but as their delivery methods are so archaic, I think I’ll shop elsewhere.

Out at lunchtime for coffee with Fred.  No Val today as he was otherwise engaged.  Good natter with lots of laughter.

Walked over to St Mo’s when I came back and got the first sketch of 2017 completed in about 15 minutes.  I keep meaning to time my sketches.  Must do it with the next one.  Two wee boys were passing St Mo’s when I was sketching.  I heard them laughing and looked up to see one of them posing for me.  I laughed and so did they.  Just wee boys.  An old man passed behind me soon after and he seemed to be struggling along with a stick.  He seemed bemused and looked as if he was wondering what I’d found to draw in this urban landscape.  But that’s it.  It’s Urban Sketching.

I got some sunset shots with the Oly 5 and processed them according to Laura Shoe’s video  and was quite impressed with the effect.  I’ll use that method of combining basic adjustments with an overlay of graduated filter.

June came over for dinner tonight and she and Scamp had a good gossip about everything and anything.

Tomorrow?  Don’t know.  Haven’t seen the weather.

An Old Friend Returns – 28 December 2016

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Today we drove in to Glasgow, but not for shopping.  We went down Glasgow Green for a walk.  A walk down The Green is usually a Sunday pursuit, but today was dry and open, so we chose to do our Sunday walk on a Wednesday – just for a change.

There were a few folk out walking off the Xmas excesses.  Some folk had even taken to the water to do some serious rowing.  There were even some like me who were out taking photos.  It was a fine day for it with low sun and some clouds to make the sky that bit more interesting.  A most enjoyable walk, but the best was yet to come.

We always use to complete our walk with a coffee and a roll ’n’ sausage (for me) and a peppermint tea and toast (Scamp) in the Wintergarden of the People’s Palace.  Until, that is, the day when a glass panel fell from the roof of the Wintergarden some time in July.  Since then the Wintergarden has been closed.  Today it was open again and it was quite full of families too.  Even better, they had fresh rolls, fresh bread and fresh sausages.  The coffee was real.  Not like yesterday’s brown water, this was coffee.  Brilliant!

After my Sunday lunch I usually go for a walk round the plants because these are plants you only get to see in a large, enormous glasshouse like this.  Today was no exception.  It looks like the gardens section of Glasgow Council has taken the opportunity to remodel the gardens while it was closed and the difference is quite dramatic.  It take it all back Glasgow Council.  You’ve done a great job here.

We needed some milk when we got back, so rather than drive to Tesco, Scamp decided to walk to the local M&S to get some and I came along for the walk.  On the way back, I carried on with my walk round St Mo’s while Scamp went home.  I managed to get my first decent shots of a couple of deer in a long while.  I could see the animals grazing quite contentedly upwind from me through the cover of some pine trees and I was able to get the camera set, focused and ready before I quietly broke cover and got the first few shots.  Then they sensed something and their heads came up.  I stayed stock still for a few minutes still taking a few more shots before they went back to grazing.  My next step broke a twig and that was all the warning they needed.  They were off, running and jumping.  I hammered off about 10 shots in motor-wind mode before they were lost in the bushes.  That was it for photography today.  Happy, I went home.

Tomorrow is booked solid for Scamp, so I’m free to do as I please.  I may get my hair cut, ‘cos it’s a ‘Pure Afro’ as we say in this house!

A wild night – 26 December 2016

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Howling wind and rain battering against the window all night it seemed.  Wildly high temperature too.  Almost too hot to sleep.  There really is something wrong with the weather this year.  I’m not a firm believer in Climate Change, but I’m willing to admit that this just is not the weather we are used to having in Scotland in December.  Whether it’s El Niño or the Jet Stream or melting polar ice caps, I don’t know.  I taught Woodwork and Graphics, not Geography, but I know when something isn’t working properly.  Maybe Theresa May will fix it.  There’s as much chance of that as there is of her arguing a profitable exit from the EU, but that’s enough of politics.

The wild winds and heavy rain persisted through the morning, but by afternoon the dry spells were outlasting the wet ones and the temperature was returning to the seasonal normal, so I got my boots on and headed for St Mo’s to get some photos … and some exercise.  Much needed exercise.  I had to shelter for a while under a tree form some heavy rain, but I didn’t mind that because I could see that it was only a shower and there was blue sky behind it.

Other than the swans and some ducks, I saw no other wildlife, and very few of the human variety.  I could hear a motorbike engine coming from the old BMX track, so I presume some wean got a mini scrambler bike for Xmas.

Most of todays photos were taken with the old 105mm macro lens on the Nikon.  I forgot to grab my Oly M5 and stick it in my pocket which meant no real landscape shots, but I did like the B&W shot of the runner, just visible bottom right of the frame.  Much better on Flickr.  Speaking of pocket, I DID put one of my Chrissy Prezzies in my pocket.  Scamp got me a pair of Thinsulate gloves and I’d forgotten just how windproof they are.  Great things to stick in your pocket.

Just like I intended, Scamp suggested pasta for dinner, so it was tomato and bacon pasta.  Nicely low cal.  I did have some of the killer pudding from yesterday, but only a couple of spoonfuls and even they were mainly the biscuit and sherry mix with some fruit.

The wind has dropped considerably tonight and it looks like a fairly decent day tomorrow.  If we manage it, we’ll be up and out early and somewhere nice for a walk.  That would be good, and would probably do us the world of good.

Fish Suppers – 13 December 2016

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Didn’t feel too good when I got up and so we didn’t go to the pool for a swim as expected.  I blamed it on eating all the leftovers from Scamp’s party.  I should know better, but I just had to have one more rum ball, even though they aren’t truly round and had never been near a bottle of rum.  One day I may learn.

There was still a lot of things could have been doing, but I skilfully managed to sidestep them all.  It takes years of selfless dedication to achieve my high level of work avoidance.  I’ve learned from quite a few masters of the art in my working life and now I am benefitting from those years of study.  Finally got caught and put to work wrapping parcels.  With two of us on the task it didn’t take that long and the boxes are now filled and ready to go to Santa.  Post strike permitting.

Had a quick waltz round St Mo’s later, but had managed to miss the best of the light although there were a wide spectrum of colours in the sky, so that became my subject in the late afternoon light.  After that it was time to pick up Jackie from the station and go for tonight’s dinner which was fish suppers all round.  Had to wait for the fish and the chips, but that meant they were very fresh and really lovely.  Didn’t even suffer any after effects which shows how fresh they were.

Tomorrow?  It looks like rain and Scamp is going in to town to meet up with one of her friends for lunch and Jackie goes back up north.  I may paint for a time.

Postponed again – 10 December 2016

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10-dec

Today we were intending to go to Embra on the train.  After yesterday’s experience on the train back from Glasgow, I thought it would be better if we travelled on a weekday, preferrably a middle weekday when the hordes were at work and not congregating in Embra as they undoubtedly would be today.  We decided to go to Stirling instead on the train.  Then I realised I had a parcel to pick up from the post office and that it would be silly to backtrack to the railway station just to get the train which would probably be overcrowded too.  Ach, to hell with it, let’s just go to Stirling by car.  Not entirely novel, but it’s what we bought the car for in the first place, to travel where and when we wanted.  Such convoluted arguments, just to go shopping!

Stirling was busy, but the carpark was fairly empty and we happily paid £1.40 for a day ticket.  You can’t even get an hour’s parking for that in Glasgow.  Wandered round the farmer’s market in the main street and I got a piece of Flat Iron Steak.  Something I’ve amazed butchers with my knowledge of in the past, but never handled before and never eaten either. It comes from the shoulder blade of the beast you know!  A fact I picked up when talking to a chef on a cruise ship.  It looks like a nice piece of meat and I’ll tell you about it once I cook it.  Other than coffee in a Cafe Nero and more redacted purchases, that was it for our visit to Stirling, although I did have an interesting talk with a salesman at the Stormfront (Apple Reseller) shop.  I was pleased to hear that although he was enthusiastic about the Apple hardware, he was less impressed with the knowledge and attitude of the sales staff in Apple shops.  I may go back to view the merchandise again once I’ve investigated it a bit more.  Three years warranty also enticed me.

When we got back there was just enough daylight left to grab my cameras and head off to St Mo’s for a few photos.  Of all the shots I took, my favourite was the one with the heron isolated among the reeds.

Dinner tonight was once again from Bombay Dreams, although this time I was less greedy and have left enough for lunch tomorrow.  Very circumspect for me.

Tomorrow?  Preparing for the Grand Salsa Ball and little else.

An Early Rise – 25 November 2016

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25-nov

Up and out of bed before 8.00 this morning, but it wasn’t the desire to take photos in the frost that was sparkling in the morning air that got me up, it was someone knocking the front door.  It turned out to be the wrong address.  The gas man was actually looking for the bloke next door.  However, it did get me up and that led to me achieving yesterday’s target.

Walked through St Mo’s and got a few photos, some of which are in the matrix above.  There was quite thick fog when I left the house with a temperature of -5.6ºc, but when I reached St Mo’s a few minutes later, the fog had gone, taking with it my chance of some ethereal early morning shots.  I did see a deer, but it was far to far away and moving like the wind.

By the time I got home, Scamp was scraping her car and since I was meeting Fred for coffee later, I decided to clean mine too.  The joker who lives a couple of doors down had parked next to me last night and left my car in the shade of the early morning sun that I’d hoped would have thawed it out.  People should think before they park next to me.  So it was frozen hands for me before lunch, but at least the windscreen was clear.

Met Fred for coffee and swap shop.  2 CDs from him to me.  1CD from me to him.  Not a lot to discuss today and I think the cold is getting to all of us.  He’d done some sketches of course and so had I, but not as many from each of us as we’d had in the past.

img_3579-flickrFred had to leave early so I did too.  I walked along the Luggie again and, probably with the thought of sketching in my head, got a quick sketch of a bridge done.  Not the most beautiful structure, but  architecturally interesting and demanding from a perspective viewpoint.  It’s not quite finished, but it was quite cold and my fingers were getting numb and I’d got a likeness of it.  I had my leather gloves with me, the expensive ones.  Two pairs for a fiver in Perth one year!  I should have worn the fingerless gloves Hazy gave me to keep my hands warm but my fingers free.  They’re not just for FOTO GRA4s! (in joke).  They’re going in my jacket pocket tonight.  I got some photos down the Luggie too.

From the 44 photos I took today, I whittled them down to 14 and from that I chose my 5 favourites.  That’s what you see above in the matrix.

Be careful how you touch the blog today as it might still be a bit greasy, that’s because dinner was a small fish supper for Scamp and a special fish supper for me (fish in breadcrumbs) eaten with the fingers of course.  I was feeling generous, so I shared my special fish with Scamp.

Looks like it won’t be quite as cold tomorrow.  Ice is nice as long as it doesn’t stay too long.

A bright sunny day – 23 November 2016

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23-nov

It was a very bright morning and a very cold morning too, but I decided to get up early (well before 10am) and get out for a walk in the frosty air.  It was quite a good decision.  I took the Nikon with the 70 – 300mm lens and the 105mm macro too.  Just in case there was a decent chance of getting some landscape shots, I took the Oly EPL5 with a 12-32mm lens.  It’s a compact wee camera and lens and can fit easily into my pocket.   Suitably dressed in warm clothing I headed over to St Mo’s and got some decent shots of the frozen plants and stuff.  Only saw a couple of deer in the distance and didn’t have a chance of capturing them in Ones and Zeros on the card.  Came home and had a hot shower to heat myself up and a cup of coffee to warm me internally while I processed the shots and uploaded three of  them to Flickr, the three above.  That was the end of my photographic endeavours for the day.

After lunch which was a couple of bowls of Scamp’s excellent soup, we drove up to the docs to see what medication we needed for foreign climes.  It turned out that we needed a Hep A booster and a Tetanus.  Neither were essential, but we decide we’d be better with them as they’re free anyway.

After that it was time to sort the dinner and get ready for Wednesday Salsa.  As usual, it was cold in the hall, but after a full beginners class we were helping in and an ‘advanced’ class, we were feeling the heat.  The advanced class was nowhere near as demanding as our Monday group, but did give us some well needed exercise.

It looks like another cold night tonight and an equally cold day tomorrow.  Coffee with Val tomorrow and maybe a trip into town after that.