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So today I started out trialling Blogo. I finally found a trial copy which lasts for 21 days and thought that would be as much as I’d need to evaluate it. It only took about 15 minutes to decide it needed a bit more practise, so it’s back to Mars Edit for the next few days:

 

The day started well, with blue skies when we had been expecting rain. Scamp was still feeling a bit under the weather, so we decided not to go too far. Finally made the decision to go to Stirling for a curry.

Oh no! They’d changed the menu and both our favourites were no longer there. This was after about 10 or 15 years of knowing exactly what we were having before we got the menus. Oh well, everything changes or so they say. After lunch we wandered around Stirling. S went to clothes shops, I went to the book shop. Dropped in at Dobbies on the way home to get a hose (at last). Hopefully no more lugging watering cans around!!

Managed a walk over to St Mo’s in the late afternoon. Although it was sunny, there was still a cold breeze. Managed a few shots of Mr Grey, the heron. Disturbed the deer as usual and as usual they got away from me. It’s really remarkable the speed with which the trees are putting on their greenery. There’s just that sheen of green over everything now and little sprouting green shoots on the forest floor. It’s amazing how much more you see when you visit an area each day rain or shine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It started out as a decent day, today. Warm with blue skies and sunny. Decided to take a trip into Glasgow to get some paint and a new reservoir for my pen. Just entered the carpark when I heard a clicking noise which seemed to be coming from the driver’s side front wheel. When I parked, I felt around the tyre, and there it was, a cross head screw and a cross headed me too. Oh well, nothing could be done here at the Concert Hall carpark as there doesn’t seem to be a tyre fitter’s garage there. Wandered round the town and took a couple of shots of my favourite building of the moment on the corner of Ingram Street and Queen Street. The glass frontage with the curved corner gives some beautiful reflections of the nearby buildings.

Got back to the carpark to find, as I feared that the tyre was deflating. Used my portable compressor to get it back to about 25psi and drove carefully home to get it fixed at Jim Dickson’s. Back in business again!

Leading Lines

The buildings in Exchange Square reflected in the glass face of the new bank building.  I liked the leading perspective lines and the inferred perspective from the striplights inside the glass building.  Too arty?  Tough, that’s my take on it.

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Really warm.  Temperature was nearly 20º.  Real “Taps Aff” weather.  We went to Torwood Garden Centre today, as did half the pensioner population of Central Scotland it seemed.  Grey hairs were everywhere.  I wasn’t one of them of course!  We went to get some plants for the garden.  It’s probably safe to get them now.  Easter is the time to buy plants, but May is the time to buy the plants that will grow – mainly because most of the frost is gone by the start of May, although, I remember my mum telling me of snow falling in May!

Went cycling and had planned what shot I was going to take.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t planned to charge the battery on the Oly.  It’s charging now as I write this, so it SHOULD be ok tomorrow.  I really must get a spare battery for it and for the Nikon too.

First night of Kizomba at STUC at night and a great starting lesson.  Really looking forward to the rest of these classes.  Stayed for the 8.00 salsa class to help out with the beginners, but dear, oh, dear, it was not the usual teacher.  It was the chauvinistic poser.  Full of macho crap and innuendo. Doesn’t he watch the class and see people cringing?  Some people were just not cut out to be teachers.  Do you get the impression I don’t like him?  Neither did any of the class that I spoke to.  One lady in particular was incandescent!  Hopefully it will be the usual teacher next week or we won’t be helping out.

A cheeky wee bucky sitting on a parking meter in Glasgow.  This one is entitled The Angels’ Share.

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The Red Road Flats seen from a distance with an Oil filter applied in PS.  Makes them look good!  Not so picturesque up close

Val and I had some business to attend to this morning.  After that we went to Falkirk for lunch at Tea Jenny’s.  Burgers to die for (or from, depending on whether you are a diet freak or not!).  After lunch we went to visit the Kelpies.  Val’s first visit and he was as taken with them as anyone we’ve introduced to these animated looking statues.  The rest of the day was spent snoozing and visiting friends in Dunblane.  Lazy night watching tv.  Beautiful day, but tomorrow I’ll take a real camera.

A beautiful blue sky and the Kelpies gleaming against it.  Problem?  No camera.  Took this with my iPhone and it looks good enough for me.

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For the first time today I wondered about the internal structure of these statues.  It must have taken the team of designers many hours and lots of computer time to design the framework that holds the Kelpies up.  Interesting to note that a crow seems to be nest building in this one’s mouth, and that’s straight from the horse’s mouth!

Not a lot to say about today.  Dived about daft this morning doing stuff, but not driving, just getting my fair or fare share of public transport for free.  Bought a set of artist quality watercolour paints for a knock-down price, even although I am not an artist, just a painter.  Spent a relaxing hour on the phone to Hazy, just talking about stuff and listening to her talk about stuff.  Relaxing, like I said. Went to salsa class at night and attempted some new contortions.  Got chips on the way home!  Just because we both fancied some.  Realised that I hadn’t done a POD, so the moon obliged with a little slice.  That was a good day!

Just a little slice of the moon with that residue of the sunset adding a bit of blue/purple luminance at the bottom.

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Went for a walk around Colzium this morning and was amazed at the amount of houses that have been built in the farmer’s field next to it.  It’s ages since we’ve been there, but it really was a shock to see so many houses and they are still building more.  Thankfully the gardens round Colzium house are still as good as ever and still well maintained.

Had a lazy afternoon.  I did think about going cycling, but although the sunshine was bright, the wind was still cold, so I had to forego the pleasure.  Maybe tomorrow.

Went to the salsa social in the late afternoon, but it was almost deserted until about 6.00 when things started to pick up.  Even then, there were lots of folk, but they all seemed more concerned with talking and giving each other hugs as if they hadn’t seen each other for years, rather than a few days.  Had a few dances and spoke to Alfie whom we haven’t seen for years – yes, real years, not days.

Scamp spotted this daffy.  Standing out against the dark background, so this one’s for her.

Patient wee bird.  Sat there for ages waiting for me to finish taking his photo, then he was off, dive-bombing a worm he’d spied on the ground.

Daffodil looking out at the world around it.

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Today’s plan was a trip to Perth (Perf) to get some coffee beans to try out the coffee grinder from J properly and to make some more of the Café Freddo with Hazy’s strange but excellent infuser with decent coffee, and also to have a run in the sunshine!  Managed to accomplish all tasks, well, still to complete the Café Freddo, but it will be done tomorrow.  Lunch was in The George again and it was really good.  Large table there celebrating a Ruby Wedding.  Weans, maws and dads with granny and grandpa and I think even a great granny.  Highlight for me was when one wee boy asked for pink ice cream – not strawberry, just pink!  A good day.  Went cycling when I came home and got a few macro shots of green blobs.  Managed to get stung by young nettles – they don’t half nip!

Down among the green blobs.  Unfortunately, as well as green blobs, there were also green leaves of nettles and my wrist are still stinging from their little oxalic acid syringes.

Panasonic 45-200mm + 16mm Ext Tube.

Blossom seen in the park at Perth.

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First, let me say, I’m not complaining, far from it.  Another day of sunshine.  Long may it last.  Did a bit of watercolour painting this morning.  This time I used real watercolour pans, rather than acrylic tubes and I must say I really enjoyed it.  Again, long may it continue.  Went for a walk over St Mo’s in the afternoon after I’d dropped Scamp off in the Village for her office lunch.  Quite enjoyed walking in the woods in the sun.  Very strange feeling when you’re used to the wind and rain.  Just missed a deer – that’s becoming a lame excuse.  I must be more aware as I walk.  What I did get some shots of was a weather balloon.  I thought at first it was a plane with a red nose cone, but after I looked at the shots I realised it was a weather balloon.  Also got the first photos of a butterfly this year in the UK.  Lanzarote butterflies don’t count.  Leaves are beginning to burst out now.  It won’t be long until the trees are green again.  Must try to paint them this year.  That’s a wee challenge if ever I had one!

A sycamore leaf just opening to collect some sunlight today.

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I like the way you can see the ribs and details of the dried leaf.

I’ve seen a few peacock butterflies recently.  I imaging the recent spell of warm weather has brought them out.

Another sunny day.  Got the train in to Glasgow and did a bit of shopping.  Saw a battle between the Bastard Drummers and the Bowie / Bolan bloke on Argyle Street.  I think it ended up as a draw, mainly because they are both crap.  The BDs are totally devoid of any talent.  Ok, the pipers are quite good and at least they musical, but the drummers?  What do they do apart from dance around, battering the drums and grimacing as if they are doing something incredibly difficult and skilful.  It’s not.  On the other hand, BB just makes Bolan faces when he’s singing T-Rex stuff, but sounds nothing like Bowie.  Maybe he need a piper to help him out.

Bucky Street seems to be awash with weans, and I mean young weans, busking these days, especially during the school holidays.  To my mind, this is simply exploitation.  How any sensible parent can push their progeny to sing and play for public amusement just to make a few bob for them – the parents – is beyond me.  Three of them were in evidence today with their wee painted cardboard signs and each of them had a crowd watching, filming and photographing them.  Do the parent not care where those films and photographs are going?  If they’re lucky, the vids will end up on YouTube or Vimeo, if they’re unlucky …. I avoid them at all cost and never, ever, photograph them.  Adults are fair game, children are not.

Saw this group busking in Buchanan Street in Glasgow this afternoon.  Can’t say whether they were good or not.  That’s one of the benefits of wearing over-ear headphones, you can cut out the extraneous noise.  Heavens, they even cut out the noise from the Bastard Drummers.  They are really good – the headphones, not the BDs or this lot!

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