Category: Uncategorized

Went for a walk along the old railway from Auchinstarry this morning.  Everything seemed to be going well until I saw a young deer and tried to get a shot of it.  The VC on the 70-300mm Tamron that usually holds everything rock solid seemed to be acting up and CAUSING vibration rather than removing it.  The resulting shot is here.  Click to enlarge.  Shutter speed, as you will see is 1/400 which, combined with VC should have been enough to avoid any camera shake.
After further investigation, I discovered it was the focus motor that was causing the vibration, not the VC unit.  Even worse, it was not happening all the time.  It’s one of the most irritating defects in machinery, the occasional problem that you simply cannot be sure of replicating.  I’ve never seen any lens do this before and was a bit worried, even although the lens is still under warranty.  It would be a real pain to have to be without it for the three weeks or so it would take to send it back to Tamron.  I’ve checked with Mr Google, but nobody seems to have had this problem, or else, if they did, they’re not publicising it.  I’ll be checking on it every day now, but I’m sure it will get worse instead of getting better.

I saw these pink blossoms when I was on my way home.  I liked the little floret bottom right and cropped down to it.

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Blue sky with occasional white cloud.  No rain on the horizon today.

I disturbed this pheasant this morning and he conveniently ran into this little patch of green.

Up and out early today to take Scamp’s car for MOT.  It passed!

Went to Livingston to get a new case for the hols.  Lunch at Wagamama in L.  Just enough time after we came home for a quick stroll along the Luggie.  Not a lot to see, but enjoyed the walk.  After all the rain, the Luggie was running quite high.  Should have taken the tripod and got some moving water shots.  Will do next time … maybe.

I just wanted to isolate one fairly well formed flower against the backdrop of blue, then I saw the spider and my picture of the day was sorted!

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WorDs FaiL mE
I know how he or she feels.

One of the great things about the D7000 is the fast burst mode mode.  I manages a few shots in burst mode of this wee acrobatic and very suspicious bluetit feeding on the peanuts.  It was taken in between the heavy rain showers that were the mark of the day.  Such a shame after yesterday, but not unexpected.

I am constantly amazed at the acrobatics and contortions these wee birds perform while feeding.

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Since it was the May holiday today and the weather was looking good, we had decided to go to Troon for the day.  It was sunny and breezy with blue sky and just a little cloud.  Booked a table for 2.00 in the Lido.  Been there before and I thought it was OK, Scamp thought it good.  Went for a long walk along the beach to watch the kite surfers and to let me get a few shots.  By the time we reached them, the wind was dropping, but I got a few shots.  Walked back and sat watching the crowds on the beach for a while.  Amazed that some folk still go down on the beach and make sand castles with their coats on.  That’s how you can tell Glasgow folk!

At 2.00 we walked in to the Lido only to be told that our table wasn’t ready.  It’s always the same at the Lido.  This restaurant should be renamed the “just a wee minute”.  Five minutes later we were told our table was ready “Just exactly on time” our waitress said.  Not by my watch dear!  Tiny wee table stuck in a corner with overhanging bar glasses right by our heads.  Meal was good enough, but they really, really need to work on their time management.

Stranger on the Shore
Just one lad, standing looking out to sea.  One of those container ships parked in the firth.

Kite surfer reaching at Troon with the mountains of Arran in the background.

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A procession of walkers rounding the headland at Troon today.

Woke up this morning to rain, but feeling a lot better than previously.  Thank goodness.  Probably a lot to do with the effects of Benylin, sensible advice from Scamp and the fact that I had a flu jag way back last year some time.  Anyway, I’m not counting my chickens yet, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

We drove in to Glasgow today to get some essentials.  Driving rain all the way in and most of the time we were there.  On the way back the rain dried up and the clouds lifted a bit.  Of course, by the time we got near Cumbernauld, we encountered “The Cloud” again.  Even that didn’t keep the rain for long and although the clouds lifted again, we didn’t really get any sun.  Didn’t expect any.  Let’s hope for some tomorrow.

Raindrops on … Pansies
Ok, it should have been Raindrops on Roses, but the pansies were flowering and the roses weren’t.

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I think I’m getting the better of the lurgi at last.  We both decided not to go far today, so it was lunch at Vecchia Bologna.  One of the few places I’d risk spaghetti bolognese without any fear of acid reflux later, and it proved itself again.  Menu is going up in price again, but not too much.  It’s still a favourite Italian restaurant, no matter what the menu price.

I spent the rest of the day trying to get my WD My Cloud to work again.  After two restarts and two restores of OS, it seems tonight as if it’s working, but I’m whispering this.  We’ll see better tomorrow.

Still life.  It’s just one step away from the dreaded ‘flowers’.  However, I was quite pleased with it.  I’m impressed with the versatility of the 70-300 lens.

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I had planned to get up early and go for a walk this morning. How wrong I was.  I just couldn’t shift myself, I couldn’t even bear to was my face in the MayDay dew, so it’s another ugly year for me.  I took the opportunity to lie in bed and try to sleep off this cold or whatever it is.  I eventually got up just after mid day feeling a bit better.  A shower helped too.  Since it was cool, but not too cold, I went for a walk round St Mo’s.  No deer and no Mr Grey – maybe they have the lurgi too!

Three ferns making their impact on the forest landscape.

Needles from the spruce trees looking a lot more like pine needles now.

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A brighter day.  No rain, and a blue sky.  We went to Summerlee Herigage Park in Coatbridge.  When it opened, it was the only one of its kind in Scotland and an attempt to rival Beamish in England.  Unfortunately, things have changed over the years, and not for the best.  The exhibits which were so impressive now look tired and untidy.  Some of the exhibitions have the wrong labels on them.  in the main building, many of the bulbs need to be replaced and as a result, it’s impossible to read some of the descriptions of exhibits.  Outside it’s worse.  There is a lot of what can only be described as scrap metal – old radiators, railings etc lying around.

The trams still run, well, we saw one running and it seems that the walk-in  pit is still open to the public, as are the houses in the village street, but so much needs to be done to repaint and repair some of the attractions.  Typical NLC.  Create something then hope it will look after itself.

Crow sitting on the winding gear at Summerlee Heritage Park in Coatbridge.

Sheet metal bandsaw at Summerlee Heritage Park in Coatbridge.  Such a pity there is a load of scrap metal piled up behind it.

The displays originally contained saws, chisels and hammers.  Not a good selection to have on display in Coatbridge.

Point me at the sky
St Mungo’s church pointing to the sky above the trees in Cumbernauld.

Title comes from Pink Floyd (1968).

For my birthday, my son got me a coffee grinder.  My daughter got me a café freddo maker.  I like coffee.  I drink a lot of coffee.  I have a cup devoted to coffee.  I only drink coffee from it.  Some folk would say I drink too much coffee, but what do they know, but drinking Star*ucks?  I don’t think so.

Some of us drink coffee and some of us drink Star*ucks and never the twain shall meet.  I don’t want to go into a coffee shop and have to give my name before being served.  I simply want a good cup of coffee, not a Star*ucks.

Some of us drink  whisky and some of us drink *uckfast (photo taken at the same place, just a week different, by the way!). A similar comparison in my book.

Oh, just as a final thought.  I had to turn the cup round to get the best angle on it and it was still full.  Looks like I have at least one person who agrees with me.

Seen outside the STUC in Glasgow sitting on a parking meter. What will be there next week?

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Scamp was feeling a lot better today.  This improvement was strengthened by the arrival of a pair of ‘magic shoes’.  Her words, not mine, although I must admit they look very pretty.

Went for a run in the car in the afternoon looking for Oakwood Garden Centre which we both remembered as being near Killearn.  Just to be sure I used the satnav on my phone.  As usual, it tried to make me go in the ‘wrong’ direction to start with. However, after driving for about 15 minutes it was still trying to correct my direction.  In addition, the distance to my ‘target’ was increasing, not decreasing.  I eventually decided to follow my nose and reached the garden centre with very little difficulty.  I checked the satnav when we were in the carpark and it told me I had thirty odd miles still to go.  Eventually, I discovered that although I’d used the correct postcode, the satnav was trying to get me to Dunblane.  Worse than that, I’d have been a few weeks late for the wedding!

Lunch in the garden centre sitting in front of a large panoramic picture window looking over the hills.  Great views of the clouds and the snow showers.  Lunch over – super-size strawberry tart to finish with – we drove home the way we’d come.  Outside the garden centre there are the remains of an old wartime hospital.  It looked a really depressing place.

Went for a walk round St Mo’s in the late afternoon and caught the last good light.  Feeling rough tonight.  Hope I haven’t caught Scamp’s lurgi!

Smoke on the Water
Well, it’s actually a cloud, but who’s caring.  It made for a good title.  As usual, all is not as it

seems.  I exposed for the highlights to retain detail in the sky.  After adjusting the levels in Lightroom, I added two graduated filters.  One on the sky to darken it slightly and add a pale amber colour.  I also used two adjustment brushes on the foreground and mid-ground to lighten it a bit and also to add more colour.  I think the adjustments improved it, but I also think it looks slightly faked.

I saw this and edged round until I had a black, or nearly black background..  I liked the simplicity of the result. Just cropped and levels done in Lightroom.

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