Category: weather

Actually not a bad day – 7 July 2024

Posted on by Zogman

In the morning we watched Laura Kuenssberg interviewing some of the new bright eyed and bushy tailed Labour administration. It was a gentle introduction and the claws were retracted … at least for the moment. Let them find their feet and let them feel confident, then the gloves will come off and the claws will be extended.

Today was the British GP and we could watch it LIVE on C4 without the interruption of adverts, and for once, it was worth watching. I lost count of the number of times the lead changed hands and felt sorry for one British (not english) driver who didn’t quite cut the mustard. However I did enjoy seeing one bruised and battered driver making his way through the young whippersnappers to stake his claim as the first driver to win a remarkable ninth British Grand Prix and to set a new record for the most victories at a single event.

Dinner tonight was Mushroom Risotto. I haven’t made if for ages and volunteered to attempt it today. Not quite enough mushrooms, but some chickpeas filled the space very nicely. I don’t think it was my best, but it was good enough to fill a wee space.

It was actually a good day with occasional showers, but lots of sunshine. Even now at 11.15pm as I look out the back window, the sky is bright blue. It’s dark now, but the sky is still blue. Today’s PoD award was won by a couple of Aquilegia flowers in the garden. They are just ‘going over’ now, but if we take care and cut them back they may, just may produce another show of flowers later in the year.

Spoke to Jamie later in the evening and heard that Simonne’s latest interview went well, so we’re hoping that’s good news for her. Any reduction in her workload would be a good thing. Also some planning is being done for a short holiday which is well deserved.

I think I may bite the bullet and get my hair cut tomorrow. Scamp has already told me that it looks a ‘Pure Afro’. I don’t think that’s the correct description. I’d say it was more a ‘Cock’s Comb’. My mum used to delight in combing Alex and my hair into that mini Mohican and every time I look in the mirror these days, I see it! A number ‘3’ should sort it out.

Other than that, no plans for tomorrow.

 

Out for a walk – 6 July 2024

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Scamp suggested we drive to Colzium, just outside Kilsyth and go for a walk in the park.

That sounded like a good idea. The weather looked fairly settled with blue skies and white clouds, so off we went. We parked in a small carpark in the trees and started a ‘figure of eight’ walk by passing Colzium House which was once the seat of the Edmonstone family but became the property of the Burgh of Kilsyth after the Second World War. Built in 1783, it was substantially enlarged in 1861. Beyond the house, the path climbs a long tiring hill with excellent views over to Bar Hill and the intervening fields with their different shades of green. From there we walked through the woodland, still climbing until we reached the top and took a wee rest on a rough hewn bench.

Once we had caught our breath we crossed the bridge over the Colzium Burn and started the descent, because “what goes up must come down” on the other side of the burn. I was taking some photos of moss fruiting bodies ( a long time favourite of mine) when a man stopped and asked what camera I was using. Obviously a photog, he said that he had a ‘crop sensor’ Nikon, but just used it for family and holidays. He stood and talked for a while and then we went our separate ways. It’s uncommon for folk to ask what camera I’m using. Only serious photographers do that, so I think he was more serious than he seemed.

Down to the old curling pond, the first one in Scotland it’s said, and finished our circuit back at the carpark. Drove home and had a quick cup of tea and toast, intending to go over to The Cotton House later in the afternoon for a late lunch … except, both of us were too busy reading and by the time we realised, the restaurant would have been near to closing.

Instead, Scamp put some washing in, then worked in the garden for a while and I helped out for a while. The parking area was full when we got back from our walk and I had to park quite a distance away, but I noticed when we were in the front garden that a parking space had appeared, so I went to retrieve the car while Scamp hung out the washing. Just as I was parking the an ice cream van stopped and as I had some ‘real’ money in my pocket, I got two ’99’ cones and watched Scamp’s face light up. Her second surprise this week.

We spent more time discussing plants and what could be cut back and what couldn’t. Scamp was also making plans for another planter to go into the front garden. Always thinking about next year. We were standing in the living room discussing whether to water the plant tonight because many of them in the tubs were very dry when I noticed it was raining. We brought in the washing which was nearly dry and realised that we wouldn’t need to water after all.

Dinner was a Spice Tailor curry made with Chicken Thighs. Just a wee bit hotter than we were expecting.

Watched The Duke. A 2020 British comedy we’d seen before, but neither of us could remember the whole thing. A harmless bit of fluff, allegedly based on a true story.

Pod was a photo of Colzium House.

No plans for tomorrow, but the weather looks not as good as today.

 

Surprise phone call – 5 July 2024

Posted on by Zogman

We got a morning call from Hazy this morning to say that her PiP allocation extended until 2030. That’s a six year extension. She sounded delighted and no wonder. It would appear that someone, somewhere has seen sense for probably the first time. Gaun Yersel, Hazy.

The oldies (that’s us, well, me anyway) went shopping in Tesco. Just the usual circuit veg, fruit and a bottle of milk, plus a whole load of other stuff.

Back home and after lunch I took some photos of flowers in the garden. Geums were the stars, but daisies made a good show too. Later I went for a walk in St Mo’s, but didn’t get anything that was better than the Geums, so to was them that got PoD. Red on Green a gold standard for colour contrasts.

We’ve been deluged by BBC interviews with everyone who ever stood next to Keir Starmer. It’s becoming one big long boring telethon. Ok, he ran a good campaign, but it’s done now, it’s over, let’s move on. What a waste of taxpayers money. Mind you, it wiped the smile of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s face for a while, so, some good things came from Starmer’s win.

Dinner tonight was Curried Cod a 30 minute meal but you would never have guessed that. I think it will be my turn to cook tomorrow or Sunday. I hope I can equal that with my choice.

Weather wasn’t terrible today. We didn’t have much, if any rain, but the wind was still strong for a while and gusty most of the day and then a glorious sunset at night. Tomorrow it looks like rain will return.

Not a lot more to be said about today. At least it didn’t rain!!

Talking gardens with Isobel – 4 July 2024

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Today we were meeting Isobel for coffee in Costa. Not my favourite place, but it suited us today. Just a place for the ladies to have a blether.

The conversation was wide ranging, about family and the difficulty for young folk to find a permanent job, but eventually it all came round to flowers, plants and gardening. Isobel is a really dedicated gardener and I’m sure she and Scamp could spend all day talking about plants and different regimes for planting, feeding and disposing of unwanted plants. She is quite a hard task master with no quarter given. If a plant isn’t performing, it either gets cut down to the ground to force better growth next year, or it gets ripped out and dumped in the bin. There’s usually another plant ready and waiting to fill its place.

When the talking was done Scamp went to get a new cover for her phone and I drove Isobel home, then I went back to pick up Scamp and we drove home. She told me that everyone in the shops wanted to sell her a wallet type cover but she stuck to her guns and got the cover she wanted, not one they wanted rid of. I know where she gets that attitude from, Isobel!

After lunch we walked up to the Polling Station and handed over our bus passes as proof of identity, then put our cross in the correct box. Strangely we used to be quite coy about who we had voted for, but now we were much more open about it and both of us had gone for the same party. Spoiler Alert: It wasn’t a Conservative!

It was a wild day with gusty winds and heavy rain showers, but thankfully we got up to the Polling Station and back again without getting wet. That’s a miracle in itself these days.

I managed a walk in St Mo’s later in the afternoon and although it wasn’t very wet, the cold blustery west wind wasn’t great to walk in and I was glad to get back home with a couple of photos. This time I’d fixed the new lens on to the A6500 where it was a bit overbalanced by the Tamron. It still produced a decent shot of a little wee yellow flower which became PoD. I must look it up to see just exactly what it was. While the lens copes quite well with these almost macro subjects, it’s not really suited to them. It’s more a large landscape lens or a means of isolating a subject from the background. Maybe I need to get out into the wider world to test it properly.

Dinner was Savoury Rice which is basically “What have we got in the fridge?” with some rice cooked in a chicken stock. It was very nice. I had it without any additions, but in retrospect, maybe a dash of Soy Sauce and maybe a splash of Yorkshire Relish would have lifted it.

That was about it for the day, except for Andy & Jamie Murray’s doubles exit from Wimbledon, against a better pairing. I’m not sure if he will continue to the mixed doubles now.

No plans for tomorrow yet, Just waiting with bated breath to find out who wins the poisoned chalice of the house in Downing Street.

 

Wet and Windy – 3 July 2024

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Another day when the weather was wasn’t very like the July we all used to know.

Hurricanes in the Caribbean and temperatures almost in single figures at home. This isn’t at all like the summers we’ve been used to. What happened to summer? Did I blink and miss it? We’ve struggled through a wet, windy and cold winter, only to find at the end that it was at times, warmer than it is this summer. Personally I blame the government!

I did go out for a while in the afternoon hoping it would stay dry at least, but it didn’t. Luckily the trees are all in full leaf now, so I could shelter until the worst of it was past. I did get a couple of decent photos, despite the wind and the rain. Best of a reasonable lot was a photo of a Drone Fly, a kind of Hoverfly, feeding on the flowers of a Cow Parsley head. Probably not the prettiest of insects, but the new lens delivered a sharp image of it. There’s another of a ‘spider house’ on Flickr that gave the drone fly a run for its money.

That was about it for the day. Scamp didn’t even go out to prune her roses. It was that kind of day. I think we were both a bit tired after two hours of almost constant dancing yesterday.

We did a bit of digital tidying up. Moving photos from Scamp’s old computer on to a storage SSD and from there onto her new computer. Now it’s her job to complete the tagging of the photos before copying them to OneDrive. I suppose, grudgingly, I have to admit that there are things that OneDrive can do very efficiently.

Dinner tonight was the ready-roasted chicken we bought in Troon yesterday served with potatoes and cabbage. It made a decent meal and the chicken was lovely.

Tomorrow we may be meeting Isobel if we don’t get blown away, because there are more gusty winds predicted.

 

A wee surprise – 2 July 2024

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We had agreed that we should go out somewhere today.

I suggested to Scamp that she might like to go down to Troon to test out the dance floor there. There are two dances a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays and since we were committed on Thursday, why not go today? By the time I’d rinsed the breakfast dishes, Scamp had laid out prospective dresses and shoes, so I guessed the invitation had been accepted!

The dance started at 1pm and finished at 3pm. The drive down to Troon was without event and by the time we got there the sun was shining. Even better still, there was a parking space next to the hall. After heading in to the wrong building by mistake we were given detailed instruction on how to get to the hall which was next door, but was hidden round a corner. Booked ourselves in and paid a tenner for both of us, probably the going rate for us Auld Yins!

We found a large dance hall with the compere and keyboard maestro ready for action on the stage with his three keyboards. He had a good sound system and the sang to all the tunes he played, and he played a lot. We were used to Stewart & Jane’s setup where they played pre-recorded music and there was tea at half time. Not so today. If you wanted something to drink, you had to provide it yourself. That way participants didn’t lose any dancing time.

I think we danced for almost everything he played. The only things we stayed seated for were the ‘school dances’ Military Two Step and Canadian Barn Dance. We also avoided the Viennese Waltz which isn’t in our syllabus. We even added in a Salsa track and a Bachata, just for fun. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Ronnie and Millie seemed surprised to see us and we had a bit of banter with them.

For once in a dance class, the time seemed to fly. I don’t think it was because my dancing was stunning, because it wasn’t, I think I was just enjoying dancing. But soon it was time for the last waltz and we assured everyone we spoke to that we’d be back, despite the long drive.

Since we hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast, Scamp suggested we go for a late lunch at the Lido in Troon: Mussels for Scamp and Italian sausage and pasta for me. We had stopped at Morrison’s on the way home to buy a loaf and ended up with a trolley full of stuff, as usual.

The run back in  the rain, took a bit more time than the drive down, but I’d expected that. Much more traffic on the road and a lot of congestion coming off the M74 on to the M 73. I’d hate to drive through that every day.

I only took six photos today and kept only four of them. PoD was a bloke sitting on the wall at the seaside having his lunch.

We have no plans as yet for tomorrow. I’m sure something will turn up.

White Rabbits (x3) – 1 July 2024

Posted on by Zogman

The first day of July and for about an hour tonight, it actually felt like summer.

In the morning, it was that cold wind again that took all the heat away. There really wasn’t much encouragement to go out and take some photos, but I did anyway, but not until well after lunch.

I struggled again to understand the purpose of the three available settings on the new camera, but eventually gave up. I think from what I’ve read that a lot of these settings are more for movie filming than stills photography.

I took the camera and the new lens out for a walk in the afternoon, but the wind was the problem again. Nothing like what’s happening in the Caribbean just now with 130mph winds, but our breezes were annoying too. More than half the photos ended up on the cutting room floor.

Dinner for Scamp tonight was yesterday’s Ratatouille reheated with some tinned tomatoes and some passata added. Mine was yesterday’s Spaghetti Bolognese magically turned into Chilli con Carne with the other half of the tomatoes and passata. Both were fine served with rice. I even had enough left over from my chilli to to go into the freezer for a day when I fancy something different!

The light was lovely about 7.30pm so I took the camera and the new lens out for a walk. I managed to get some more interesting photos this time in the Golden Hour. The best by far became PoD.

No real plans for tomorrow, but hopefully we won’t have to wait so long for the sun to shine and we’ll get a chance to go out somewhere.

The Fox and the Blackbird – 30 June 2024

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The latest bout of Buyers Remorse came about as a result of a Fox on the 3rd of June this year and came to an end with a Blackbird this morning.

I watched a fox watching me while I was out at Fannyside taking photos on the 3rd of this month. I took a few photos, but knew it would have been better to have had a longer lens at hand. That started a month long search for such a lens at a price I was willing to pay. I found one about a fortnight ago and swithered for a week and a half about purchasing it. I finally bought the lens yesterday but the first shots I took with it were lacklustre at best. This morning while waiting for my coffee to cool, I watched a blackbird having its morning splash in the birdbath. I grabbed my camera with the new lens and took a few shots with it. A quick chimp 1 I knew the lens was a ‘keeper.’ The fox started it and the blackbird finished it. The Fox and Blackbird would make a good name for a pub, and probably has!

Before lunch we went shopping for food and came back from Tesco with three big bags full, just like Baa Baa Black Sheep if you can think back that far!

After lunch and after listening to Laura Kuenssberg admonishing Sunak for his criticism of the opposition. It felt like she was going to give him a verbal warning before ordering him out of the studio. Must be nice to have the power to kick out the Prime Minister!

Next task for Scamp was more pruning of the roses and finding the name of a little red flower that came from Jamie’s garden (no the ones in the picture, those are Geums) and had appeared in the back garden. It was a Common Rock Rose!
While she was doing her tidying up, I was potting up some basil plants I’d grown from seed. A horticultural afternoon.

Spoke to Jamie later and heard about their invitation to a neighbours’ barbecue. Our weather has been a bit dull to attempt a barbecue any time soon.

PoD was the bathing blackbird, of course.

No real plans for tomorrow.

 

  1. (Chimp – Photographer’s speak for checking the photo on the back screen of the camera, usually constantly!) ↩

A Late Lunch – 28 June 2024

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No, we didn’t sleep in. This late lunch was planned.

Crawford and Nancy asked us over to Larky for a late lunch, around 2pm. So after watching different weather patterns moving across the sky and still not being sure which one would run the day, we got ourselves decked out in our going-out clothes and drove to Larky.

It turned out a really nice day, as long as you were inside looking out. I reckon it wasn’t quite so warm on the other side of the glass walled conservatory. Lunch was Butternut Squash soup, followed by a Slice of Salmon fried and dressed with Philadelphia Cheese and Roasted Peppers with New Potatoes and Asparagus. Dessert was Bramble and Cream with a drop or two of alcohol to spice it up. Last, but not least was a sponge cake topped with Philadelphia and white chocolate. The whole lot washed down with a Americano coffee.

We sat and talked about where we’d been and what we’d done since our last meeting which wasn’t all that long ago, but we’d all covered a lot of ground since then. C&N had been using their Historic Scotland and National Trust cards to gain access to a host of places as well as a we-got-lost-and-found-this visit to the Japanese Garden near Dollar. We had been places too, using our Senior Rail Cards, we’d travelled to Stirling and its castle and Edinburgh and on to Leith. So, we had a lot of things to talk about.

When the ladies retired to the conservatory afterward, Crawford and I struggled to find out how to get photos on to an advertisement he was making using his new Chromebook. I’d never used one, but I was sure I could work it out, but I was wrong. It must be the most annoying piece of useless tech. Impossible to navigate without swearing. Eventually I had to admit defeat. Then he told me he had actually built the advert already on his iPhone and it was much easier that using a Chromebook. I could believe that. After about an hour, we were back where we started without having put anything onto paper. We gave up and joined the ladies.

Drove home and got parked after a bit of coming and going with four cars trying perform a ballet routine so that two could leave and two could park at the same time. Eventually it worked out and we even had a spare space!

PoD went to a photo I saw building as we were driving home. It’s a view looking over towards Lenzie from a single track country road near us. It’s actually two photos joined together to make a panorama.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to go dancing and on the way home, pay for and pick up a lens. Apparently it arrived in the shop in the late afternoon.

 

Hardly past the door – 27 June 2024

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It started off a bit grey with a white sky and a temperature of just over 18ºc, and dry. From there it all went downhill.

The temperature was the first to drop down and it kept falling all day. The clouds got heavier and lower and around lunch time the rain started. It wasn’t looking like day for outside photography. I thought I might have to resort to a tabletop setup to get some images into Flickr and from there to a PoD.

However the rain wasn’t continuous and during one of the dry spells I managed to grab a few shots of one of our Triffids in the back garden. It’s actually a Teasel plant which is just opening up to reveal the teasel flower head. Presently it’s about two metres high and still growing. Also growing in strength was the wind today, which was not only strong, but also arriving in gusts which caused a fair bit of damage to Scamp’s roses. It also managed to behead one of her favourites. The teasel being made of sterner stuff just bounced around in the gusts and didn’t seem to come to any harm.

Scamp went out to the dentist’s for her check-up to make sure that everything was ok after her antibiotics had done their work and the dentist seemed happy with it for now. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Dinner was a Wednesday staple, Fish ’n’ Chips. Made by Scamp, of course and very nice it was too.

That was about it for today. As the title of the blog says, I was hardly past the door today. Hoping for better weather tomorrow.

Really sorry to hear that you lost Penny today, Hazel. It must have been heartbreaking for both of you to take her to the vet for the last time, but it was the kindest thing to do.

No plans for tomorrow.