Category: weather

I’m walking in sunshine – 2 February 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bFor a time today, the sun shone.  It was so good to walk in the sun.  After all the dull, heavy feeling weather we’ve had this winter it was good to feel the sun on your face and to see shadows.  It’s surprising just how much it means to see the effects of the sun on your surroundings.  According to the weather fairies we are to have more sun tomorrow.  Bring it on!

Went to the gym and had a play around on the machines.  I’ve still got a few to investigate and a few that I can happily discount as ‘not for me’.  Went for a swim afterwards, but the pool was busy so we spent most of our time in either the sauna or the jacuzzi.  I don’t mind, it does you good to just get out these days.

After lunch I went for that walk in the sun and when I got back one of Scamp’s friends had brought her Nexus round for me to have a look at.  The first thing I noticed was that the back of the device wasn’t seated properly, so I suspect somebody had been there before me.  Second thing was that the machine was totally dead – not even the empty battery sign which usually means it’s been left on or something has shorted somewhere.  I worked with it all night, but the whole thing is totally ‘bricked’.  A very technical and appropriate term for knackered.  I don’t see it working again any time soon.  In an attempt to reset it like I did with my own Nexus, I had to use the PC.  What a brick that is.  Windoze 10 wouldn’t start – grey screen – no message – no pointer.  Powered down, then back on – just the same.  Left it charging for about 15 minutes and a message appeared “configuring updates 100% complete”  So that’s what the bloody thing had been doing.  It would have been good of Win10 to at least give me a clue what was going on in its tiny mind.  After another 3 hard resets, it started working, though grudgingly.  That’s why I don’t mind paying the hefty price for a Mac.  It just works.  Usually.

White Rabbits (x3) – 1 February 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe traditional greeting for the first day of the month.  It’s meant to bring you good luck or something.  Let’s hope it breaks the seemingly endless chain of storms that are sweeping Scotland.  Today it was Storm Henry’s turn to wreak devastation.  Henry is quite a noisy and blustery storm, he’s still rumbling around outside as I write this and will be there tomorrow to catch the unwary so we are told.  Some businesses in Glasgow let their workers go home early because of him.  They probably had their hours cut though.  Charity stops at the office.

Didn’t see any rabbits today, white, brown or striped red and yellow.  I did see three deer though.  The were feeding in a public park near the path to Condorrat, right next to a swing park.  They saw me, but pretended they didn’t and seemed quite unconcerned.  I could almost hear them saying “Oh, it’s just another old codger taking photos.  Ignore him and he’ll go away after he’s got his shots.”  So I did get the shots and they did ignore me and I went away.

“Gems” had invaded the house by the time I got back so I took the car out for a run and tried for some photos down by the Luggie, but there was nothing stirring and it was getting really dull so I headed home with an empty SD card.

Went to the Bachata class again tonight and although it was the fat bloke, he was much, much better than last week’s wannabe.  “Junior Instructor my sharny arse” as DCI Steel would say in the latest Stuart MacBride book.  Books are a real pain.  Did you know the pages don’t light up?  You have to physically turn the pages too.  The pages don’t turn when you touch the right hand side of them.  How old-school is that?  If you want  to look up a word you have to use a special app called a Dictionary you can’t just ‘long press’ the word.  Worse still, the Dictionary app is a book too.  I think there’s a conspiracy here by the book makers who are trying to get you to but even more books.  It won’t work though.  There will always be a place for a Kindle.

Deep and Crisp and Even – 30 January 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt snowed during the night. When we woke it was bright white sunshine that was coming in the windows. Such a nice difference. Yes, I knew it was going to cloud over and there was the chance that we’d have more snow during the day, but for a while it was sunny.

Had a relaxed start to the day, no need to rush on a Saturday now. Let the workers do the rushing to make the most of their weekend. Us retirees can take our time. Finished the book I was reading “Strange Loyalties” by Wm McIlvanney. It was a bit of struggle finishing it, rather like wading through treacle at times, but good use of language. Full review on Goodreads (3/5 stars).

Luckily we had planned on a bus journey to Glasgow because I didn’t fancy driving anywhere today with blizzards forecast for everywhere in Scotland. As it happened, we didn’t see any blizzards, but there was a bit of snow as we were driven in to the great metropolis that is Glasgow.

This being our anniversary, or the anniversary of the day we met, we went for lunch. Today’s choice was Charcoals. I had Rara Gosht and Scamp had Chicken Dopiaza. They were both lovely – not cheap, but lovely. We wandered round ‘The Toon’ for a while and then came home on the bus.

By the time we got back most of the snow had gone. It was a great day.

Today’s PoD, in fact the only one worth talking about, was taken outside the Apple building which is being ‘modernised’. A nice bit of business acumen there.

Galloping Gertie – 29 January 2016

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combo bStorm Gertrude gave us a glancing blow last night and early this morning.  Gusts approaching 80mph apparently and around 6.00 this morning it certainly felt like it.

The worst of the wind had abated by lunchtime and we went for a swim.  There wasn’t much pleasure in driving and with all the travel restrictions due to the wind, so a swim gave us a short run and a wee bit of gentle exercise too.

After we came back, I was tempted to go out and take some photos, but the wind was still there and it was pretty cold.  I decided to take some shots in the garden instead.  The viola is a pretty wee thing and is flowering well, even in this cold weather.  The birds were photographed through the kitchen window and turned out better than I expected.

Snow and more high winds predicted for tonight and most of tomorrow.  Should be interesting.

A drive along Clydeside – 27 January 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAlthough it was raining very heavily when we woke up, the weather improved all through the morning, so we decided to go for a drive in the sunlight, rather than go to the pool today. I fancied going to Culross (sorry Hazy) and Scamp wanted to go the Clydeside. We settled on Clydeside.

Rather than go straight down the motorway and waste hours going through the miles of roadworks from the M8 flyover to Hamilton I went through Airdrie, Newmains and Waterloo. Don’t worry if you haven’t got the foggiest idea of where I am, it’s not motorway, that’s all you need to know. Weather hadn’t been brilliant, but when we got to Waterloo we had a view across the Clyde Valley to Stonehouse and Strathaven bathed in bright sunshine making the grass glow! So that’s what sunshine is like.

Drove along Clydeside to Dobbies, or Sandyholm as we used to know it and got the above photo there, looking across to the sunny side of the river. Had a pleasant enough lunch, but inside of the garden centre was a shambles as they were getting rid of the Christmas tat and preparing for Easter which as we all know is when garden centres make the most money. “Buy your plants at Easter to plant them in your garden. Buy the plants that will actually grow in May.” I was told that by a gardener years ago and it’s very true.

On the way home we stopped at Mauldslie to try to get some photos, but the sun had gone for the day and we were back to ISO 10000 again. Time to go home. Still, I walked in the sunshine today again. Things may be looking up.

Oh yes, and it took just over 10 minutes to get through the roadworks on the motorway. But if I’d gone that way to start with I wouldn’t have seen Stonehouse bathed in sunshine.

A grey day, lemonade scones and a still life – 26 January 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnother uninteresting day with nothing much to recommend it.  Windy and wet with occasional chances for the sun to burst through for a few minutes.  Driving rain from the south for a change.  It washes the windows if nothing else.  Every time the I decided to take a walk and get some photos in the bright spells, the rain would start again.  Scamp and I went to the gym instead and did a bit of exercising, but as she had a lunch appointment, we didn’t get a chance for a swim.

Did a bit of painting, but left it unfinished again.  Made some lemonade scones.  Simple recipe:

  • 2 cups self-raising flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 150 ml double cream
  • 150 ml lemonade

Makes roughly 12 scones and they are as light as a feather.  Even Scamp agrees, it must be so.

Today’s photo is physalis 1 .  It was produced using a combination of different technologies.  The camera was mounted on a tripod, an old Bilora that I bought second hand for a couple of quid in a house clearing about forty years ago.  The other technology was the brand new Pixel remote trigger.  Old and new technologies managed to produce a good image when used together.  Hoping for good weather tomorrow, but more snow forecast.  We’ll see.

 

  1. Just keep repeating “Physalis, Physalis, Physalis”.  Then when someone asks you what they are, you don’t blurt out “SYPHILIS!” as someone I was sitting next to at a restaurant did.  A conversation stopper. ↩

The Wild West – 23 January 2016

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combo bAccording to the weather reports and the weather apps, today was to be a good weather day.  They lied.

We drove down to Troon to get some fresh air, a walk along the beach and lunch.  The thermometer in the car read 5ºc when we arrived, but it lied too.  That didn’t take into account the windchill from a cold south wind blowing across the beach.  The kite surfers didn’t seem to mind, in fact they were revelling in the windy conditions.  We stood and watched them for quite a while after walking along a very untidy beach.  Loads of debris from the recent storms, Frank being the most likely suspect.  Apparently there were whole trees washed up on the south beach.

After walking back to the town we wandered round the vast selection of shops Troon has to offer.  It’s like so many of Scotland’s, in fact Britain’s towns these days and seems that the charity shops outnumber the full price shops.  Lunch was in the Lido which was very busy, most of the background noise being contributed by the girls at a ten year old’s birthday party.  Food was good, although my burger was thicker but with a smaller diameter than previously.  Scamp had Churrasco barbacued chicken skewers which looked delicious, but she said they were “Ok”.  She’s a tough critic, I know from experience.

After stopping on the way for provisions in Waitrose, we drove home.  After we stopped near the house, Scamp found a wallet on the road next to the car.  I suggested we hand it over to the police and let them deal with it, so we turned tail and drove up to the police station.  Felt better for doing that.  It was our good Samaritan deed of the day.  Hope the poor bloke got his wallet.

Picture on the right is not as it was taken.  The kite the bloke, I’m guessing it was a bloke, was using was a dark blue and grey and it was not quite in the frame, so I clipped a nice orange one from a diffent shot and replaced the dull one with it.  There, that looks much better!

Rain predicted for tomorrow.  What a surprise.

A Different Sort of Day – 22 January 2016

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combo bAfter a downer of a week, weatherwise and otherwise, we woke today to … rain. Woke up at around 6.00am to rain battering against the window. Turned over and went back to sleep. Next thing I knew it was 9.00am and it was still raining. Oh well, I’d decided to go in to Glasgow for a wander and the weather app on my phone said it would be sunny by midday – fat chance says I. By the time I’d got myself organised and finished just one more chapter of Strange Loyalties by the late William McIlvanney, a very introspective novel with wonderful use of language, by the time I finally put it down, it was getting on for 11.30. Scamp had declined my offer of a run into town, so I went myself on the train. Got parked easily for a change at the station.

When I was walking up to the station, the rain had stopped and wonder of wonders, there was blue sky up there. At 12.10, sitting in the Glasgow train, the clouds parted and the sun shone. It stayed that way for the rest of the day. The weather app was right, well, ten minutes late, but we can forgive it that. In Glasgow I went up to JL, but they had no bargains – well, they hardly ever do. Had a play around with one of the Oly 4/3 DSLRs I’ve been watching coming down in price. Second hand of course. Unfortunately I handled the posh V2 version first, so the viewfinder wasn’t as clear in the second, more affordable, one. That said, it has come EVFs have come a long way since the Sony F707, or even the removable EVF of the Oly E-PL5. Sorry for all that technospeak, Jic, it’s over now, you can open your eyes again.

Lots of lovely light in Bucky Street and interesting people too. I have to thank the community policeman who noticed I’d dropped the viewfinder from the E-PL5 in my rush to get a shot. Thank you very much whoever you are, I never really got a chance to thank you properly. I know it’s unlikely you will ever read this, but I feel better now. I walked all the way down past St Enoch’s to the Clyde walkway and found even more photo opportunities.

Back up to the station, back home and a piece ‘n’ cheese for a late lunch before Scamp came home from a “Witches” meeting.

What a difference a bit of sun makes.

Flooers – 21 January 2016

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You can tell when it’s been a really bad day photographically when the POD is flowers, especially cut flowers.  These ones are really quite pretty, but they still tell a tale.  It was a dismal day for taking photos.  Hardly any light from mid morning until night.  It rained all day and it was cold.  Not much to get up for really, but I did.  I made the superhuman effort and got up and went out.

I went to meet Fred who has even more to moan about than me.  He’s had to endure the pain of a failed tooth extraction and then the added misery of oral surgery to remove the root.  I don’t even think he got his tooth back so he could get a shiny new fifty pence piece from the tooth fairy.  He wasn’t complaining too much though as we exchanged comments on each others art works completed or part completed over Christmas.  That and the coffee eased the pain of his gums and my lack of decent light.

I got myself the latest Stuart MacBride book to cheer myself up.  Why is it that this book which has to be printed, bound, have a cover fitted and be carried from the printers to Tesco cost nearly two quid less than its digital equivalent from Amazon?  Amazon say it’s because VAT is added to the purchase price as the government have decided that an ebook is software.  That is a feeble excuse.  It doesn’t take a genius to work out that it isn’t software which is according to Merriam-Webster as “The programs that run on a computer and perform certain functions“.  An ebook has to be read, it does not perform any function and it does not run on a computer.  It’s time the government owned up to this, frankly, ridiculous surcharge.  Anyway, this is the second book I’ve bought this year.  Is it a sign of the times?  We will wait and see with breath suitably bated.

A dismal day – 18 January 2016

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combo bA day that started with drizzle and a milky sky.  It never really got better, but did wash away some of the snow.  About 4 o’clock Scamp unlocked the front door for the first time today.  It wasn’t a day for venturing out and we couldn’t even be bothered to go to the gym.  Scamp cancelled Gems because of the state of the front path.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.  That’s it folks, well almost.  Heard on the radio tonight on the way to salsa:

“So, about the balls, you just roll them do you?”  Apparently, allegedly, they were talking about making snowmen.