Category: Uncategorized

Up and out around 7.00am and caught the best light of the day I think.  Walked along the old railway from Auchinstarry.  Lunch at Cotton House.  It seems like we are eating out every day!  There will need to a tightening of belts soon.  Managed an hour cycling tonight just because the weather is going to be worse tomorrow according to the weather people.  Possible snow forecast and temp going down from 17º to 7º!

This guy kept moving a few yards downstream every time I came near.  I managed to get two clear shots.  This was the best.

I saw these growing wild tonight.  They looked great in the low light.

This was a case of right time, right place, wrong lens.  I’d taken the 70-300 and the 10-20 with me and this needed somewhere about a 40mm which was at home.  I tried 20mm, but it was way too wide and 70mm was too tight.  Only thing to do was to take a bunch of shots with the 70 end of the long lens and stitch them later.  For once Autopano let me down.  Too clunky, lots of jpeg artifacts.  I was forced to use Photoshop and it worked great.  The big problem was a big file, around 2GB!  Even once I’d resized it, it was still massive, but workable.  The mist was real, but I used a little bit of my patented fog brush in Lightroom to accentuate it.

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The great thing about satnavs is that they will get you out of a hole.  The bad thing about them is that they have a CPU, not a brain.  I was driving to get coffee beans and Thomsons over on the south side of Glasgow following my satnav.  I got as far as Stow college on the motorway and the CITRAC signs lit up with notification of an accident and all three lanes stopped.  I crawled along and came off at the first turn off then relied on the satnav to get me out of a jam, a traffic jam.  Well, it did the job, it got me to my destination, but it took the most circuitous route possible.  Coming back, it tried to do the same route, but it couldn’t see the sign at the roundabout pointing the way to the motorway heading home – I did.  Once it had recalculated it showed me the way home.  Great tools, but no brains.

Coffee.  It’s one of my guilty pleasures.  So much so that I got two coffee related prezzies yesterday.  A coffee grinder and a coffee freddo maker.  Unfortunately I ground up all my coffee beans to make the freddo – which tasted great by the way.  I’m going to have it over ice at the weekend!  Anyway, I needed more coffee beans and as I usually get them from the Bean Shop in Perth, I needed a supplier a bit nearer to home.  Then I remembered seeing that Thompsons coffee roasters had a shop on the south side of Glasgow.  It’s a blast from the past.  Many, many moons ago Thomsons had a shop in Glasgow city centre.  Now its in an industrial unit, but the good news is the coffee is just as good as it was, way back then.

The steps of the concert hall and Glasgow City Council is considering (read “have decided to”) knocking down these steps to extend the ‘retail opportunities’ of the area.  Don’t these witless wonders realise that they are supposed to serve the people, not themselves?

Busker basking in the sun on Bucky Street today.

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Happy Birthday to me.

Lazy morning with breakfast in bed, then just dottering around, enjoying the sunshine that Scamp had ordered for me.  Lunch at Vecchia Bologna in Bridge of Allan.  Came home and Scamp wanted to do some gardening.  Unfortunately, I have a serious allergy to this form of work, so I went for a run on my bike.  Light was not so good by this time, so wandered around my favourite tip and got some fairly average shots.  fm A good day.

I must make a note to watch this tree to see exactly what kind of blossom this tuft turns into.

The last remaining active volcano in Central Scotland.
Actually a pit bing near Kirkintilloch, but viewed from this angle …

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Apparently the commonest ladybird in the UK, but an indicator of spring.  Saw it today when it went for a walk.

Up early and back on the Samsung –  Almost said Nissan Note there.  Maybe wishful thinking.  Anyway, back investigating the secrets of the Galaxy Note.  Lots to find out here, especially in the drawing apps.  After lunch I dragged myself away, mainly because the battery was quite low.  Went for a walk in the sun at St Mo’s.  Startled a couple of deer, but that was just about it.

Remains of a teacup caught up in the roots of a tree.  I’ve photographed it before, but it still fascinates me.

One of today’s deer.

The green bristles are the needle leaves of a larch.

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When we woke this morning, it was to another foggy day.  Hopeful that it would burn off, we headed for Helensburgh.  Almost reached Balloch traffic-free when we were reduced to a crawl by a long queue of traffic.  It stayed that way for about two miles, then like the fog, it cleared with no sign that it had ever been there.  Crossed over the hill to Helensburgh and there was the fog again, lying across the Clyde – but no queue this time.  Went for a walk along the front at Helensburgh (if you’re reading this, J you’ll be groaning by now).  Helensburgh is getting really run-down, like so many Scottish seaside towns now.  Near the pier the esplanade has been upgraded with lovely curves of granite blocks and landscaped grassy areas.  Once you are past this part, it’s broken concrete with a sheer drop of about 4m to the rocks below.  No handrail, no sea wall.  If this were in industrial premises, H&S would shut it down.  By this time the fog had cleared to a rolling wall of grey in the middle of the estuary.  Quite photogenic.  Quick lunch at Costa and then home.

I had decided to bite the bullet and buy a Samsung Galaxy Note, so we dropped in at JL and I made the purchase.  Real one this time, not a JL Second.  After playing with it for a while when I got it home, I began to wonder if it was really worth the money.  Then I re-discovered Autodesk Sketchbook.  It was 12.30am before I noticed the time again … and so to bed!

Blackbird basking in the early evening sun.

This was the view looking up river through the mist from Helensburgh today.  My wife gave me the title – Fifty Shades of Grey.  It seemed fitting, although I don’t know where she got it from 😉

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Misty morning with the prospect of a better day later.  It did in fact come.  Did another watercolour, this time on real watercolour paper rather than cartridge,

Salsa at 4.00pm with a short Kizomba taster class before it.  Definitely going to the class when it starts.

Good sunset tonight, but I’m writing this up as it glows through the back window.

Aye, we’re getting there now.  The magnolia buds are swelling nicely.

Even better sign of spring.  The crocus flowers are out and there is even a wee bit of late afternoon sun!  Smashing!

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Got the train to Embra.  Went to JL Edinburgh to get rid of the DOA Samsung Galaxy Note.  While waiting for a Technical Sevice person to become available I spoke to the Samsung rep who happened to be at JL today.  She commiserated with me about the defunct Note.  I asked her if she had the more up to date one and she pointed to a 12″ tablet.  “No, a 10.5″ one I said”.  Her reply shocked me.  “There isn’t a new one”, she said.  Surely this isn’t true, JL are advertising it on their website.  “Oh, that’s not a new one, it’s the 2014 model” was the reply.  Did she have one I could see and play around with.  “There are some in the warehouse, downstairs.”  Could she go get one, I’d like to try it out.  “But it’s last year’s model!”  I began to feel quite sorry for these poor tablets languishing in the dark of a warehouse ‘downstairs’.  It was probably cold down there and the poor wee things would be huddling together of warmth hoping, just hoping that someone ‘upstairs’ would have the goodness in their heart to take one home and use it lovingly.  “Anyway, we’re not allowed to open the boxes.”  How did all these various Samsung tablets including the 12″ NEW model get here?  Did they break free from their chains and plant themselves on the NEW tablet bench.  “What resolution does the 2014 table have?” Answer “Oh, it’ll be 1200 x 800, that’s what they usually have”.  I gave up, I wasn’t buying the 12″ NEW model and she wasn’t interested in selling me an ‘old’ 2014 model.  As I walked away to get a refund for my ‘ancient’ original model, I felt like whispering to the smug 12″ NEW model “You’ll be old yourself some day mate.”  JL used to be the byword for good quality goods and good quality service.  It looks as if both have gone to the board these days.  I may have to look elsewhere for decent service.

With £167 now safely ensconced back on my credit card, we went for lunch in Valvona Crolla.  Service was a bit slow, but Scamp’s Crab Linguine and my pizza were excellent.  Such a nice change from yesterdays disaster.  Quite spellbinding.  Certainly worth taking the time to see.

After our theatrical experience Scamp bought me an early birthday present of a pair of binoculars where the salesman (Not JL!) convinced me that the budget price binoculars were perfectly good enough for what I wanted.  Maybe Ms Samsung could take a lesson from this man.

After that back to the station just in time to miss the train – as tradition requires!

Great piece of acting. Totally believable and right up to date.

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Simon the Zealot. Brilliant actor at the Edinburgh Easter Play in full flow. He just looked like a jakey, a tramp, but the words he spoke rang a bell.

Simon the Zealot at the cross.
Edinburgh Easter Play.  As excellent as ever.

It seemed like such a bargain.  A Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 – the old version – second hand, but in the John Lewis Easter sale, so it would surely be all right, right?  Wrong.  Five hours and a lot of swearing later, it got as far as the Samsung loading screen, but no further.  That is a great deal further than it had when first powered up.  Unfortunately, that is as far as it would get.  I switched it off and went to bed.  Five hours wasted.  It will go back to JL tomorrow.

The other disappointment today was Zizzi in Exchange Square in Glasgow.  Service dire.  Arancini cold in the middle.  Bread really little more than warm dough.  Pizza ok, but heavy.  Place was mobbed and I think the kitchen was over stretched, but that’s no excuse is it?  Would we go back?  I doubt it.

A little brush with Photoshop and Queen Street station has stained glass windows.

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The plan for the day was:  If it’s dry in the morning, get the bike out.  If it’s wet, go for a walk.  It was dry and sunny, so it was cycling time.  Didn’t go far, I rarely do, but it gave me a different perspective, a different scene.  I had hoped to catch a glimpse of one of the two woodpeckers I’d seen a few weeks ago, but although I could hear them, I couldn’t see them.  I did see a couple of bluetits and a wren.  Then to top it all off, I managed a shot of an Easter bunny.  Then back home to phone the dentist because it’s time for my six monthly checkup.

Two of these birds were systematically stripping out all the insects in a dead tree, right above my head.

This wee guy/gal sat for ages, allowing me an excellent change of a shot. Well, it wouldn’t be Easter without a fluffy bunny, would it?

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Up and out early today to go to Falkirk to meet the FA, and it was good news.  Tea in Tea Jenny’s and a croque-monsieur for lunch just to celebrate.

After we came home I decided to round off the day with a walk along the old railway from Auchinstarry.  Good walk, if a bit cold and windy, but got soaked on the way back.  Never mind.  It’s to be a better day tomorrow.

Branch with four little leaflets.

Heavy clouds rolling over Dumbreck Marshes, but a little sunlight got through.  Well, although there was a little bit of sunlight, I did augment it with an adjustment brush in Lightroom, but that’s strictly between ourselves.  Don’t let on to the Flickr crowd.

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