Category: weather

A scorcher! – 25 May 2026

Posted on by Zogman

In the global stakes they don’t stand a chance, but today’s temperatures of 24ºc are impressive for Scotland.

We had a lazy start to the day, but we really must get some work done to the house. I thInk I need to sand down the back door and repaint it. The window sills also need a fresh coat of paint, front and back. The cupboard at the front of the house could do with a lick of paint too. I think that will be a good start. The carpets need to be cleaned and that seems to be where Scamp thinks we should start … hopefully tomorrow.

We watched a fairly interesting Canadian GP with a lot of mechanical failures catching drivers out. I almost felt sorry for George Russell. After his car ground to a halt at the side of the road, he threw his headrest away in disgust and that earned him an extra penalty! Not St George’s day. This new F1 rule book is catching a lot of drivers out and causing no end of misery for the ‘Old Team’. Good to see!

After the race was done, Scamp and I went for a walk down to the shops to get some essentials for lunch and for dinner later. That was when I began to feel the effect of the 24ºc and wondered how Hazy was surviving “Dahn Sarf”. Hope it wasn’t too hot for you.

After lunch and before dinner, we drove to the Town Centre for a sequence dance class. I can’t for the life of me remember its name, but we knew it well enough to dance the whole routine without listening to the teacher. That didn’t mean that we just ignored her, and we actually learned some of the finer details like the hold we should be using. Good work, Kirsty.

Back home there was just enough light to capture a bunch of Aquilegia flowers backlit by the sun. That made an easy PoD.

So tomorrow we’re intending getting the carpet cleaner out and do a ‘Scrub a dub dub’ on the living room carpet!

Off to Brookfield for a dance class – 23May2026

Posted on by Zogman

This may possibly be the last dance class for a whole month. The teachers are off on two different cruises. I won’t say I am disappointed, but I’m not.

We got a great surprise when we headed over to Brookfield and were allowed to travel faster than 40mph. The 40mph ban had been lifted and we were driving at normal motorway speeds. Even better, the roads were only partly full. We usually watch for one of the big ‘out of town’ parking areas to whizz past on the left, only half full. Today it was almost totally full. Finally we reached Brookfield, about fifteen minutes quicker than usual. That’s the difference the 40mph ban makes.

Today was a high energy dance class. It started with the Electric Slide which only about fifty percent of of the class seemed comfortable with. I was just lost – thinking it was The House of Bamboo with different music. Then we were into the ‘meat’ of today’s class with “Celia’s American Smooth Waltz”. Every time I start this dance, I think I’ve got it sorted in my head, then it falls to pieces. Today if took me a couple of rounds of the floor before I managed to join all the units together correctly.

A couple of sequence dances came next to give us a bit of relaxation, then it was time for another of Stewart and Jane’s less complicated dances and we finally ended up with another exhausting sequence dance that left most of the senior dancers gasping for breath.

We walked out of the hall into sunshine. It was such a beautiful day. We drove home in very light traffic for a Saturday. We even had enough time to go to M&S for some messages.

After lunch, Scamp wanted to work in the garden and I wanted to go out to St Mo’s in the hope of finding a damselfly ,,, and there it was, a Common Blue damselfly. It was very agitated and kept flying away. Eventually it settled down and I got a clear, if distant, view of the insect. The first damselfly this year for me! That became the PoD.

Tomorrow I have no plans.

Out to lunch today – 22 May 2026

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Investigating a restaurant in Paisley. Scamp had heard good reports from it.

It’s a complicated journey to Paisley from Cumbersheugh. Bus to Glasgow. The inevitable coffee in Nero and a walk through the streets, busy on a Friday morning. Then we needed tickets to take us on the train to Paisley. With tickets in our hands we just managed to get on to the train with seconds to spare. The train took us the four stops that we needed to get to Paisley Gilmour Street station and we walked into the sunshine of Paisley.

We did a quick wander round the shops in Paisley, just in case they had different shops that we have at home, and surprise, surprise they did have a dress the exact size for Scamp and another top that might just fit Shona. It looked like it was going to be a good day.

We were actually too early for lunch, but Scamp said she was sure they’d fit us in, and they did.

Scamp’s Lunch was: Cullen Skink Croquettes then Beer Battered Haddock washed down with a glass of red.

Mine was Crispy Chicken Tenders then Gourmet “Scampi” & Chips ( the Scampi was actually King Prawns, but it was clearly labelled as such, so no problems there) Also washed down with a glass of red!

To finish we had Vanilla Ice Cream with Homemade Tablet and Hot Caramel Sauce. Delicious.

We’ll be back!!

I had a view of Paisley Abbey and Scamp had a panoramic view of a wedding party walking into the restaurant in their finery.

We walked to the station and caught the train to Glasgow, then a coffee for me and a peppermint tea for Scamp before we got the bus home.

Quite a tiring day, I did over 11,000 steps and Scamp did a lot more.

PoD went to the Golden Torch Rhododendron that’s flowering in our garden.

I think we are possibly going to Brookfield for an hour and a half of dancing tomorrow.

A day in Paisley – 20 May 2026

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I had suggested a walk round the Abbey in Paisley and Alex agreed.

Scamp gave me a lift to the station and I caught the train to Glasgow and met Alex at the bus station as usual. After we had our morning coffee we decided that the weather wasn’t looking great, but there was just the chance that it would improve in an hour or so, and it did, for once.

We got the train to Paisley and walked to the Abbey. We wandered around the building for a while, but there was a meeting of some group in the building and we both prefer empty spaces, without people wandering into shot, so we left them to it and headed for some lunch.

As usual we went to a wee cafe we’ve used many times before. The food is ok and fairly cheap, so it suits our purpose. From there we walked to the waterfalls on the White Cart Water, with the impressive Anchor Mill building in the background. The six-storey, red brick Anchor Mill was built in 1886 and was home to the largest thread manufacturer in the world, J. & P. Coats Ltd.

After we’d taken all the shots we wanted, just over sixty in my case and closer to seventy by Alex, we headed back to the station and caught the train back to Glasgow.

Getting into and out of Central Station in Glasgow is a bit of a mammoth operation since the fire earlier in the year. One entrance and one exit in the station that’s operating otherwise normally makes for a lot of congestion, but we should really be impressed by the amount of work that’s been put into getting this busy station operating at all!

We walked back up the hill to the bus station and went our separate ways. We’ve agreed the next venue will be in two weeks.

Meanwhile, Scamp had been cleaning and tidying some of the flowers and plants in the back garden and generally just getting everything ready for summer which, hopefully is just around the corner.

PoD went to the Anchor Mill with its surrounding waterfalls.

Tomorrow we have an almost empty day. I’m sure something will fill the space.

Three days that were a blur – 18 May 2026

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On Friday we drove to Perth in the early afternoon to park the car for a few days while we sauntered off to do some serious dancing. Three days dancing, in the oldest, creakiest hotel in Perth. We’d been there before many times, and knew what it was like, but we chose to ignore the surroundings and just dance.

Saturday was a repeat of Friday with more dancing, but with the addition of posh dresses for the ladies and Evening Suits for the men in the evening. Still the same madness with the addition of a ‘new’ dance to learn and practise. Towards the end of Saturday it began to feel like “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” A 1969 film about a disparate group of individuals desperate to win a Depression-era dance marathon. The only differences between it and us was that there was no prize and we could leave whenever we wanted and go to bed.

Sunday morning was my least favourite, the one hour dance class, where everyone is enthusiastic to begin with, but, as the hour ticks away, people drift away and say their goodbyes. It’s a bit sad.

We drove home through some really heavy rain showers, but arrived in a dry Cumbersheugh after three long days.

Today was a day of rest after a fashion, but we also had a consultation with a solicitor to finalise some details of legal issues. I think we were both happy with the end result.

Back home I went for a walk in St Mo’s and got a couple of decent photos. My favourite, and PoD, was a pair of delicate looking Aquilegia plants resting against a wall. The previous three days worth of PoDs are available for perusal in the usual place.

Tomorrow I’m hoping we will have a real rest day!

Out for a walk – 13 May 2026

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Today we picked up Shona and took her to Helix Park to see the Kelpies.

It was an awful day for a walk. Torrential rain with lightning, hailstones and sleet. All within about fifteen minutes. It did clear up, but only so the weather could get its breath back before the next deluge drifted in. We decided that would be a good time to grab a seat in the cafe and avoid the next shower. One Mac ’n’ Cheese for each of the ladies while I had a pretty tasteless large Sausage Roll.

Once our lunch was over and we were sure the worst of the weather was past, we went for a walk round the Kelpies. I think it was the first time they had met Shona and they seemed to approve of her visit. We had walked almost to the furthest north part of the park when the heavy rain drove us to shelter under the bridge that crosses an offshoot of the canal. Not the most comfortable place, noisy and with a cold wind blowing through it, but at least it was dry.

After a while the winds wound themselves down and lo and behold, the sun shone from a blue sky and the weather remained like that for most of the rest of the day. We walked over the canal outlet and down the other side of the canal to get a different view of the Kelpies. Once we’d seen everything that interested us we drove back to Cumbersheugh in the rain that had decided it wanted to splash us again. We dropped Shona off at her house and drove home. I completely forgot that I was going to treat the Blue car to a new set of windscreen wiper blades. That’s now been relegated to tomorrow morning.

PoD went to a clutch of cygnets with their mums and dads, out for a swim. All, that is, all except the couple who were sheltering on their mum’s back. You might not be able to see them from the photo, but I swear they are there. I also got a clear photo of a Grey Heron. Truly a birdwatcher’s day out.

Happy Birthday, Neil. I hope you had a good one!

Maybe we might just manage a trip to Glenburn tomorrow for a tea dance.

Lazy Sunday – 10 May 2026

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Breakfast in bed on a Sunday morning. Nothing to beat it!

In the morning we watched Laura Kuenssberg doing her usual Mrs Nasty impersonation and trying to keep those excitable politicians in line. It was a tough job today. Some were bemoaning their losses and others were just their usual smug selves. Wouldn’t you just hate to be a politician? No matter what you do there is bound to be someone who wants to burst your balloon.

It was such a lovely morning we walked down to the shops to get stuff for lunch and dinner. Scamp had it all planned out.

Lunch was our usual fried offering black pudding and / or haggis, with an egg for Scamp and some tinned tomatoes for me.

After lunch I went over to St Mo’s to walk off the excesses. The warm air from the morning was beginning to cool down and I was glad I’d taken my Rab jacket with me. PoD was a grab shot of a head-on shot of a bunch of Larch needles. From a distance I was sure I could see two eyes and a furry nose looking at me, but maybe I was mistaken!

Dinner was Prawn Cocktail followed by Jersey Royal potatoes, Sea Bream and Griddled Red Pepper as the main.
Then Fresh Fruit Salad chopped up neatly by Scamp.

Spoke to Jamie later and got the itinerary for their intended visit north in a few weeks. We also saw some of Simonne’s beautiful photos from their recent holiday. Made us jealous.

Tomorrow I have a visit to the dentist to look forward to.

Walking in Chatelherault – 8 May 2026

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Today I met Alex for a walk in Chatelherault.

I sat and talked with Alex and Carol, going over what had been happening in the last two weeks. I answered as many questions as I could and managed to get the timelines straightened out … I think.

After that we drove to Chatelherault, parked and went for the traditional coffee in the wee cafe. We walked down to the Duke’s Bridge and over the Avon Water then through the Cadzow Oaks, our usual wander, then Alex suggested we walk on to the Green Bridge. As far as I could remember, it was a fairly long road with a lot of climbs and steep slides down down the other sides, but it was a lovely day and we were just wandering and blethering. Then when I tried to find where we were, the iPhone couldn’t find us, neither could the GPS in the camera and we decided we’d just walk back. I think both of us were wishing we’d left the big warm jackets in the car.

Back at the cafe we had another coffee break and a moan about the state of the world then we walked back to the car and home.

Dropped Alex off at his house and got an easy run home to ours. Scamp, meantime had talked Shona into staying at our house tonight, just to have some company at this busy time. Still lots going on.

It was a Golden Bowl for dinner. The two ladies seemed happy with their food, but I thought mine was a bit dull and the meat was tasteless. Maybe it was a new chef. We would give it another try.

We watched “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” after dinner. I think it must have been a Christmas film we had recorded. Scamp and I both knew most of the punchlines, but Shona, being of a different generation thought it was a great laugh.

PoD went to a Beech Nut I’d picked up on the Duke’s Bridge. I also managed to splash some paint on a watercolour page to keep me up to date in EDiM.

Hoping to drive to Brookfield tomorrow for the first dance class in ages.

May the Fourth be with you – 4 May 2026

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We went shopping.

We needed a fair bit of shopping, because, like Old Mother Hubbard, our cupboard was looking rather bare. A quick visit to Tesco and a few quid changing hands soon put a stop to the potential starvation.

It was a pleasantly warm day, with plenty of sunshine so I took the opportunity to go out for a walk in St Mo’s and grab some photos. I’d been using my trusty Sony A7iii for a while, but today I gave it a rest and took the A7c with me instead.

It looked at first sight as if there was very little to photograph, then a few wee Wolf Spiders popped out of the breaks in the boardwalk and I thought I’d get a few shots of these arachnids. I’d forgotten just how quick these hunting spiders were, except when the females are carrying their egg sacks on their backs. The egg sacks slow them down enough to grab a few shots, but the ones I saw today were mainly males which don’t carry the eggs. However, I did manage to get a few shots. I wondered what any passers by would make of me crawling on all fours taking photos!

With a few shots in the bag I walked back home for a quick lunch and a chance to check my photos. As usual, there were more shots going into the bin than were kept.

Scamp and I drove over to Shona’s house to see how the task of emptying Paul’s house was going. Margaret and Caroline had begun to work on the downstairs rooms but had time to sort through the hundreds of photos dating back to June’s marriage to Tommy. I took some phone photos and hopefully I’ll manage to clean them up and enlarge some of the better ones. Just over an hour later we were heading home for a light dinner and a chance to watch Gardeners’ World.

Tomorrow I’ve an appointment at the clinic in Muirhead to get my summer Covid jag. Oh what fun.

Round the ponds – 3 May 2026

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A dull start to a dull day.

One of those days that never really got started. The furthest I got was a walk around St Mo’s pond. I did get a host of photos, but the best by far was a clutch of Mallard ducklings out for a swim with their mum. That made PoD.

Scamp did a lot of tidying up and later we watched the qualifying F1 race in Miami which was a little bit short of scintillating. The commentators tried hard to make it exciting, but it didn’t work.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Hopefully we’ll get some sunshine too!