Category: Uncategorized

A day to recover from the biz of the last week. A day when I didn’t have to go out which was just as well, because my stomach was in pain and decided to alert me to the fact at regular intervals. Something I ate or the change of water, it could be either. However, the upside is it gave me a chance to update both my Flickr account and my blog. Both are now almost up to date. Just today’s photo to get sorted and that’s me done. Aye, there’s the rub. Can’t gee myself to take anything. Nothing of interest here and there’s been hardly any decent light all day, just that Scottish milky sky. No texture, no shadows, no highlights either. Just some garden flowers trying to brighten the day.

The day after the day before. Another early rise to pack bags and get on the road North. Said our goodbyes and walked to the station where we were just in time to get the train to Vauxhall. On the walk I spotted a couple of restored classic cars I’d seen on Friday. I just had to get a photo of them.

From Vauxhall we took the tube to Kings Cross St Pancras and walked the ten miles through the station up escalators along corridors and up stairs (always up) until we reached Kings Cross Station. I took the usual and now traditional photo of the roof of the station. Such an icon. After that I managed a few shots of silhouettes on the walkway at the end of the concourse. Soon the train was posted and we were off on stage four of the journey. Comfortable if quite old rolling stock for our run to Embra. Took our time when we reached Embra to get some milk and bread and then it was onto the train to Croy. Phoned ahead and the taxi was waiting for us just as we got in to Croy. Completed stage six and after we had cleared away all the junk mail from behind the door, made some tea and had a seat in our own house.
Nowhere, no offence ND and Hazy, is as comfortable as your own home.

One last thought. When we were on the stage one part of the journey we passed a house with a sign at the front saying “NO Junk Mail”. I wonder if it works.

Not without a little trepidation, we were up and out to Morden to get the train or to be precise a combination of trains to get us to Notting Hill. The rain that had been torrential through the night had all but stopped as we walked out of Holland Park tube station. Then CD put on his raincoat and that presaged the deluge that was to follow. Ponchos on, we got to the meeting point at corner of Ladbroke Grove and Elgin Crescent and found a dry(ish) spot under a chestnut tree. Met up with JIC and Sim and we were good to go. People were assembling near us and we were standing just beside the booze wagon. What better place to be. After an hour, it looked and sounded like the carnival was set to start when the bombshell hit. Police and licensing board arrived and started to unload all the booze into two box vans. It appeared that the ‘band’ ( the group we were walking with) didn’t have a license to sell, or even give away (!) drink. I seriously thought there would be a riot, but some bloke got on the speaker and told everyone that they didn’t need alcohol to have a great party … and he was right!

After another half hour or so, we started walking. At first there was a bit of confusion because we weren’t wearing the proper uniform. Tee shirt and headband on (Scamp and I refused point blank to wear the shorts), we were in. I reckon I must have danced my clumsy way along the road for an hour before I realised that I was totally sold on this madness. After that, it was just a case of trying to get some photos of the carnival and keeping to the beat. That and avoiding people ‘wining’ in the middle of the road. Until we went to Trinidad in 2014, I’d only seen dogs doing this in the middle of the road. If you don’t know, ‘wining’ has nothing to do with wine, but everything to do with Soca. Google it, that’s my advice.

About 3.30, Scamp decided that we should give it another half hour and then make tracks for home, well, Hazy and ND’s house. CD agreed and after another 20 minutes or so we made our excuses and left the band. Tried to get to Holland Park, but the police said that wasn’t possible, so we made our way to Kensal Green, thence using CD’s excellent knowledge of the Underground system by a variety of lines to Morden where we had started this surreal day. ND picked us up and after dropping off CD, took us back.

Later we shared pizzas because I knew it would settle my stomach. I blame the Coke in the Rum and Coke that had helped fuel our day. Yes, I know, the polis and excise had taken away all the booze, but that hadn’t stopped Sim from nipping out of the band on a couple of occasions to the off license to get a bottle of rum.

It was early bed tonight, because of our tired little toes, but oh what a wonderful day we had. I don’t believe in ‘bucket lists’, but if you have one, add Notting Hill Carnival to it. You won’t regret it.

Not the brightest day. A late start because ND was at church. He was going to try to get us a poncho, not at church, but in the Poundshop. When he got back empty handed, he suggested we go to Kingston and try to get one there. This was all on the suggestion of JIC who thought we might need them on Monday. Anyway, we got the ponchos and then went for a walk along the river. I met a relation of Mr Grey’s. I think it might have been a distant cousin. He was a rather scraggy looking heron, definitely a dark grey heron. After that we headed home for risotto made by ND, then an early bed for an early rise tomorrow.

Today started with rain.  Torrential rain, not just ordinary rain, but real thunderstorm stuff, luckily without the actual thunder.  The upside of this was that the rain washed all the seagull crap from my car – I wasn’t looking forward to washing that off myself, so thank you rain.  Got an invite to a retiral night for teachers at my old school who had seen the light at the end of the tunnel and recognised it as sunlight or who had moved on to pastures new.  I was quite glad that I’d been invited.  I know I’ve really enjoyed this last year, and will happily tell them that.  I went in to school to hand in my acceptance, but there seems to be a lot of long faces there and a realisation that this is not what they signed up for.

Had lunch at Milano and spoke to an ex-pupil of mine who works there part time.  Found that she had recently graduated and was now looking forward to the ‘World of Work’ as it is euphemistically known.  Scamp and I have often said that we wouldn’t like to be young now, with all the difficulties that includes.  She, the ex-pupil seemed so happy and I could imagine how she saw her opportunities opening up before her.  Good luck to her, I’m sure she’ll need it.

Drove around looking for a subject for PoD and found it after I’d left the school.  It’s a statue of a stag made from what looks like steel reinforcing bars and stands at the front of a local powder coating company’s offices.  It took a while to get a decent angle on the sculpture, but with the help of the excellent Snapheal Pro, I managed to get rid of bits of building and fence that were obstructing the view.  Snapheal Pro is worlds away from the clumsy healing brush in Lightroom 5.  Come on Adobe, get your act together and improve this.

Dancing at night, but no drag of a drive in via the M8.  This time we travelled in comfort by train and subway.  The only what to travel!  Well done Scamp for suggesting it.  Well worth the extra expense.

Dragged myself to the gym and swim today.  Maybe the exercise began to get those endorphins moving again, but I came away feeling a bit better.  After lunch and sliding into torpor again, Scamp suggested we go out a coffee.  That did the trick.  I felt so much better after that.  Perhaps the caffeine works better than the endorphins.  While we were out, I took some photos of an old stone walled barn for a painting.  Unfortunately, the roof of the barn has fallen in, but I think I still have some prints dating back to the days of film in which the barn roof is intact.  If not, I’ll just have to imagine it.

After we came home, I went out for a walk around, yes you guessed it, St Mo’s.  It’s great having this little bit of wilderness on my doorstep, so to speak.  Anyway, today the light was the subject. Yes, I saw a deer and also some damsels and dragonflies, but the light itself was just great today.  I tried to get some photos of grass stems by the wee pond and oh, the sparkle from the water was a sight to behold.  I hate the word ‘Bokeh‘, which really just refers to out of focus light in the background of a picture.  In the olden days we used to call it an ‘Oofery‘.  It means the same thing without resorting to a foreign language.  Well, I soon decided it was the Oofery or the Bokeh (you choose which one is most apt) which was the most interesting part of the picture and proceeded to shoot some more vegitation with the sparkling light behind it.  After that I went in search of other subjects that would look good in this good light.  The cloud had lifted.  All it took was a bit of exercise and a cup of coffee.  Scamp’s good at these things.  I should listen to her more often … perhaps.

Oh, did I mention It’s all about the light?

It was a decent morning and we had decided to go for a drive along Loch Lomond side as JIC hadn’t been there for years and Sim had never been to the ‘Bonnie, Bonnie Banks’.  Unfortunately, as we got within about a mile of the roundabout at the south end of the loch, we hit a looooong traffic jam.  The traffic heading up the lochside was at a standstill.  A swift change of direction was necessary, so we moved into the almost empty outside lane and turned right at the roundabout heading for Balloch, intending to drive to Balmaha.  I always thought ‘Balmaha’ sounded really exotic, conjuring up images of swaying palm trees, but it’s really just a wee lochside village with cars parked everywhere.  Anyway, before we got to the Balmaha turn off, I spotted the turning for Balloch Castle and remembered Scamp and I going there a few years ago.  Drove in and got parked quite easily.   Went for a walk and heard music.  At first we thought it was coming from Duck Bay Marina across the loch, then realised it was coming from the lochside down below us.  Scamp talked to a lady and found out it was a Dragon Boat race and got direction from her, so we headed off and watched a couple of races.  It was a charity event with teams in fancy dress.  Managed to get a few photos of the boats.  Also got some shaky shots of the two seaplanes taking off on short pleasure trips from the loch.

Scamp was feeling hungry, and once you’ve seen a couple of the races, unless you’re involved, it gets a bit boring so we went in search of food.  Scamp said the best place was Lomond Shores and that is where we went along with hundreds of others.   On the way, we could see that the queue was still at the roundabout,  so we had made the right decision taking the diversion!  Lunch was in the cafe at Jenners and was quite decent.  After lunch we split up and wandered round the shops for a while then drove home after JIC found £15 just lying on the ground.  Lucky boy.  I thought that the queue at the roundabout would have dissipated by the time we were going home, but no, it had grown to well over 2 miles long by then.  Some people were going to have a dismal Saturday afternoon.

Later in the afternoon, we drove the other two into Glasgow so they could meet up with old friends.  Scamp and I walked around the Merchant City Festival in town and took in the sights and sounds for a while before returning home again.