Category: weather

Out on the town – 2 April 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Alex and I were doing a photowalk in Glasgow today.

A beautiful day for it. I wasn’t wearing my Orange Rab jacket, nor my other rainy jacket, although I did have it with me, just in case there was a change in the temperature. There wasn’t.

We started off in Nero as usual and once a plan had been discussed and accepted by both parties we walked down Buchanan Street and on through St Enoch’s Square then down to the Clyde Walkway. We watched a bloke setting up his grid of white squares on a newly painted bare black wall. Once he was happy with the grid he didn’t take long to sketch in the rest of the tag. I’d meant to go back and see how it turned out, but I forgot, so that will have to be a walk to take on another day DV.

Instead, we walked along the Walkway and I got some shots of the St Andrew’s Cathedral as a flight of pigeons did a flypast. I seriously thought that was going to be PoD, and it was, temporarily.

By then, food was calling and Alex said he fancied a lighter lunch, so we went to Greggs for a Mexican Chicken Oval Bite. Basically sliced up chicken with salad leaves and chilli mayo on a soft roll. Maybe that’s doing it a disservice, because I really enjoyed it. We dined alfresco sitting on a statue’s plinth in what used to be George Square. Now it’s a barren wasteland with almost all the grass removed and a paltry few benches around the central statue were all taken, that’s why we settled for the plinth.

Fed and watered, we wandered down through the Merchant City looking for a building Alex had seen, but couldn’t remember where. What we did find was a quiet wee cemetery which I couldn’t remember seeing before, but now realise was the Ramshorn cemetery.

Once I got my bearings I easily found the building Alex was looking for, it was the Cranberry’s building a three or four storey almost round building. Once Alex got some photos, we walked down to Argyle Street and had a coffee and a blether then headed for home.

I managed to catch an x36 bus that would take me to Condorrat with a lot fewer stops than the usual X3. Then we had a wee glass of Clarence wine in the garden. Very civilised!

That was a very enjoyable day. 84 photos taken and about three quarters made it through the first pass. Just over 13,000 steps. I even remembered to take a selfie of Alex and me as we headed for our buses, just to prove to Hazy that I’m back, but probably not normal – never normal! You’re right. That’s boring!!

PoD was some ladies being served a trio of cocktails in a posh restaurant in Exchange Square.

Tomorrow we may go dancing, proper dancing, among people.

Coffee with Isobel and Shona – 1 April 2025

Posted on by Zogman

We were booked for coffee with Isobel and Shona today. Just the usual Costa in the town centre on a beautiful warm spring day.

The temperature was all set to reach 18ºc by afternoon and I’m sure it reached, if not exceeded that temperature. Shona was looking quite relaxed and seemed to be enjoying the benefits of not having to worry about Ben because he was being looked after by his minders. After a fairly interesting coffee chat, we went our separate ways and in our case, headed home.

Scamp was desperate to get back into the garden and tidy things up. I can see the difference she is making and am glad she’s enjoying seeing the growth coming in all her plants. In the afternoon she declared that she was going to sit in the sun. Not long after that I saw the thick black clouds of smoke that looked like something was burning fiercely on the far side of the motorway. I was intending going over to St Mo’s anyway, but I thought I’d have a look from the vantage point of the bridge over the motorway. The motorway was running normally, but the black clouds weren’t going away. If anything they were worse than they had been before I left. They were still too far away for me to see the source. Quite a few ambulances coming and going though.

I walked back and in to St Mo’s and with the help of my phone managed to work out the direction the smoke pall was coming from. It seemed to be near Greenfaulds School, although, maybe a bit beyond that. Later we heard on the news that it was a recycling unit that was burning and that Greenfaulds occupants were warned to keep their doors and windows shut.

I grabbed a few shots in St Mo’s and my favourite was the PoD, the Horse Chestnut buds unfolding. It was a tough decision if it was a sycamore leaf opening or the horse chestnut, but the horse chestnut won. Surprise of the day was a butterfly darting about under the trees. Couldn’t get a clear shot of it, but hopefully there will be other chances. Walked home and joined Scamp with a bottle of beer in the front garden.

Dinner tonight was fish ’n’ chips. Giant pieces of fish with baked chips. Really lovely with beetroot and tomato sauce! Scamp made it, of course.

Watched the final episode of Death in Paradise and it was just as bad as all the rest had been!

Tomorrow I’m hoping to meet Alex for a photo walk. Scamp, I’m sure, will be hoping to work more magic in the garden.

The last day of March – 31 March 2025

Posted on by Zogman

We went for a walk today. The options were Glasgow Green and Drumpellier Park. Drumpellier won for the simple reasons that it was closer and there was a good chance we’d find an ice cream van waiting at the end of our round trip.

It was a pleasant walk in and out of the trees and across the fields of this lovely park, especially as the trees were now beginning to show some of their greenery. A few of the older trees had been blown down in the gales, but a surprising amount of them were still standing. Possibly the amount of trees in the park protected them. About an hour long walk in total, and yes, the ice cream van was there! I don’t think I’ve seen ice cream vans on Glasgow Green, more’s the pity! Can you believe I didn’t take one photo in that hour long walk!

Drove home and had lunch before Scamp was starting on the back garden, cutting back, planting cuttings and generally tidying things up now that fresh growth was forming after the long winter we’ve had.

The good weather and sun from the morning was disappearing in the middle of the afternoon, so I wore my orange RAB jacket for a walk over to St Mo’s. On the way I bumped into our new next-door neighbours. Two women and maybe three girls. I’d bumped into them Thursday or Friday of last week and they were asking about the house and I told them I’d never been in it, but that it was almost exactly a mirror image of ours. They seem fine. Just wanting to get schools sorted out for the girls and eager to get furniture in. Scamp had bumped into them too while I was over in St Mo’s, and of course she found out names and a lot more than I did. I completely forget everyone’s names … except mine, or only sometimes does that happen.

Today’s PoD came from St Mo’s and was a shot of a dandelion. I had to scramble down a slippery banking to get that photo. Ended up muddier than I’d intended, but I got the shot.

Off to Kirsty’s Dance class for a lesson on Tina Tango. I can’t believe I’ve been dancing that sequence dance for years and only today I discovered I’d been doing bits of it wrong all along! Simple steps that I should have known, but didn’t. Anyway, I was dancing, not with Scamp who was dancing with Kirsty, but with Nicola who has been dancing since she was knee high I’m told, but she too was making a few mistakes … and I admit I trod on her toes, just like I do with Scamp. Scamp introduced Kirsty to Ed Sheeran’s Shivers. So much better than the old fashioned tango music she was playing. Next week it’s to be Melody Foxtrot to the tune of Go Gentle by Robbie Williams. That might be fun!

Possibly meeting Isobel for coffee tomorrow. Who will be the April Fool?

Dancin’ and Flowers – 29 March 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Today we drove over to Brookfield for the first dance class in ages.

The road was busier than normal but we made good time despite that drawback. Busy carpark at Brookfield too. Something to do with a committee meeting … on a Saturday morning? Have these people no other plans on a Saturday?

We started with a couple of sequence dances both Melody Foxtrots to ease us into the routine. I was quite pleased that I managed to tie my shoes, far less dance! Then it was in to the lesson proper with a new-to-us Cha-Cha. Most of it we’d seen before, but some of the steps were new, also the teachers were adding some very technical bits and pieces we definitely hadn’t seen before. I’ll admit it, I was lost for a while.
I don’t know who had been in the hall before us, but the floor was treacherous. Even the teachers were slipping and sliding at times. However, we survived it.

Next up was a Tango. Again, we knew some of it, but not all. Hopefully the short videos I’d taken will make things clearer, as will the short one-to-one lessons we both got from Jane.

We finished with a couple of Tina Tangos the first one being to Shivers by Ed Sheeran, of course.

We left the dance class and faced a gathering storm with driving rain that followed us all the way home. Again the roads were busy although most of the traffic seemed to he heading for Braehead.

A surprise parcel was waiting for us on the steps of the house. It was a bouquet of flowers from John & Marion. Then another parcel arrived about an hour later. A posy of flowers in a glass jar. That made PoD.

I walked down to the shops to get a take-away dinner. The rain had paused and it looked safe to go. Wrong again. When I came out of M&S the wind and rain had redoubled. A day of bad choices, all in

The rain and wind is still with us at almost 11pm. Hoping for a better day tomorrow. Hoping to meet Shona for coffee in the town centre.

 

Keeping Fit – 28 March 2025

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Scamp was out early this morning to go to her Friday morning FitSteps class. That left me with the opportunity to read a bit more of my book. I’d done my bit this morning by driving up to Tesco to ensure that that wee Blue car had enough fuel to take Scamp to her class.

As I said, I had done my bit by making sure the car had enough fuel to get Scamp to her class. The next thing I had to do was make a decent cup of coffee and find my place in my book. A quick review of the photos in Flickr and a solution to Wordle and I was done until Scamp returned.

I’d received a text from JL to say that my new bedside lamp had arrived in Glasgow and was ready to pick up. Once Scamp returned, we drove through heavy rain, then hail to get to Glasgow. Wild weather these last few days. Lots of thundery rain and high winds too, but we got to Glasgow without too much bother and collected the lamp and the bulb which was almost as expensive as the lamp at just over £7. Seven quid for a bulb? What is the world coming to?

We went for a coffee in JL where there seemed to be a lack of cups in the cafe and we were handed our coffees in paper cups. No reason given, so it’s probably something else to blame Mr Trump for. Well, we can’t blame Boris this time and Starmer hasn’t a clue what’s going on, so DT is the easy fall guy.

We took a walk down Buchanan Street and on to St Enoch’s Square where I found a view of the old subway office and the new magic greenhouse that is the new entrance and those two buildings made the subject of PoD, along with a guy looking serious as he avoided stepping on the lines as he walked past. You can’t be too careful these days.

Lunch with Scamp was in Paesano. It’s usually Alex and I who eat there every couple of weeks, but this time Scamp seemed happy to be my guest. The pizza place was very quiet, as was the town in general. That is, except for a bunch of wahoos who were toting banners and singing songs. No polis to be seen, so they weren’t Rangers or Celtic fans, just wahoos!

The lamp seems to work well, and I’m off to bed now to see how easy it is to work with its touch technology in the dark!

Tomorrow there may be a return to ballroom dancing. Oh dear!!

It rained today – 27 March 2025

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Unfortunately it forgot to stop.

After yesterday’s sunshine, today was a bit of a let down. The farthest we got was Tesco for a shopping expedition. Not much fun to be had in Tesco.

Then it was back home for lunch. I did take the chance of getting some photos in the garden in the afternoon, between showers. My target was a Snake’s head Fritillary. One of many Scamp had planted last autumn and were beginning to flower now. The light was pretty low by the time I got a chance to beat the rain, but hopefully I’ll get another chance tomorrow, or at the weekend.

Not a lot more to say about a typical wet Scottish day.

Hoping for better weather tomorrow.

A morning in bed – 23 March 2025

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Sometimes it works for me. Today it didn’t.

I woke with the same stinker of a cold that Scamp had last week. Usually I just have the morning in bed and when I get up in the early afternoon everything fits back into place again. Unfortunately that didn’t work today. I got up and just mooched around the house. Scamp went out to get me some more Benylin and a big packet of Paracetamol plus a strange looking Sea Salt Spray which the pharmacist recommended. Then she fed me the pills and a spoonful of Benylin and I squirted the salt spray up my nostrils. It was a strange feeling but it did seem to clear my nasal passages. I’ll try it again tonight before I go to bed.
The combination of Benylin and Paracetamol seem to be doing what they were designed for.

Scamp suggested that we cancel the trip to Oban we’d planned for Tuesday. I agreed, because I didn’t fancy getting the train to Oban if this cold/flu was hanging over me. Luck was on our side for once and I cancelled the hotel booking without having to pay out a penalty. Scamp managed to cancel the rail tickets with only £5 admin costs. I felt a fair bit relieved that we weren’t asked to pay to cancel the hotel and the train. We’re intending to re-schedule the Oban trip later in the year.

We watched a fairly lacklustre Chinese F1 GP in the afternoon. Just as I said before, it was only cars going round in circles … fast!

I went for a quick walk over St Mo’s and got some photos of apple blossom on one of the trees. That got PoD.

Scamp made dinner tonight. It was chicken soup made from two chicken thighs, pulled apart after they’d been boiled to make the soup, then chopped veg to fill it out a bit. The main course was three roasted chicken wings with potatoes, and broccoli. A variation on my chicken thighs, leeks and peas.

Spoke to Jamie and heard that they are getting some decent weather to go for a walk, even if Vixen wasn’t invited and heard about a forthcoming visit to London to a team building course. It might be fun.

Well, I’ve doped my self up with Paracetamol and Benylin and I’m looking forward to squirting some salt water up my nose! 😝

No plans for tomorrow. It depends on how “the Heid is”.

 

Just the two of us – 22 March 2025

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Today was Saturday which usually means we are on our way to Brookfield for dance class, but not today.

In the morning, Scamp’s sister was getting a taxi to Glasgow to catch the bus back home to Skye. About a six hour journey. We said goodbye to her and thanked her for coming, then it was just the two of us. The house seemed awfully empty after she had gone.

Not long after she left, a knock at the door signalled the postman bringing a parcel addressed to Scamp. A parcel that mysteriously disappeared almost as it left the postman’s hands. That’s a clever trick, I thought! Not long afterwards, the same postman returned with a long cardboard box, also addressed to Scamp. This one didn’t perform the previous trick. It was a box of flowers for Scamp. She unpacked it carefully and put them in water in a vase in the living room. Some flowers from my brother and his wife for us with a note. Thank you, Alex and Carol. That was very thoughtful.

I went out for a walk later just to clear my head and maybe get some photos. Some workmen had cut up the fallen trees from about a month ago an cleared a path round the pond. That made access a lot easier. I got a PoD almost right away. It’s a Flowering Currant. Its deep pink flowers are another sign of spring.

I was feeling a bit more human today. Not coughing quite as much, but just feeling drained. In the afternoon we watched the Chinese F1 GP, but I wasn’t really interested in it. Just cars going round in circles, really.

Scamp encouraged me to go out for a walk to the shops with her later and although I wasn’t feeling like another walk, I did agree to go, but grumpily. But only as I’m writing this did I realise I’d forgotten to get the crunchy peanut butter for my porridge. I must remember to get some tomorrow. I’m addicted to it now!

We got some rain today. It must be almost a month since the last time it rained. Such a strange thing to say in Scotland. The garden definitely needed it. I think we’re due some more for the rest of the week. That will please Scamp!

Apart from peanut butter, nothing planned for tomorrow!

The day after – 21 March 2025

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A slow start for today.

I had a heavy cold in the morning and took my time about rising. It had been hanging on me for a while and mixing with others yesterday may have passed it on to some while I probably picked up a variation from others. Whatever, it was a long lie in for me.

After breakfast we all drove over to Cafe Bothy – real name Coffee Bothy, but we’ve always know it as Cafe Bothy, I probably picked up the ‘wrong name’ from Isobel, yes, let’s blame her. Anyway, we were handed a buzzer as usual these days and we wandered round the ‘shop’ amazed at the prices they charged. We didn’t have to wait too long to get a seat and put in our order:

Fish ’n’ Chips for Jackie
Mac ’n’ Cheese for Scamp
Sri Lankan Lamb Curry for me

Service was a bit slow, but the food was good and we weren’t in a hurry.

I had managed to get a photo of the Wallace Monument when we arrived and with a bit of adjustment, that became the PoD. Drove home through gradually increasing density of traffic, but we managed to keep the wheels moving.

Lots of reminiscing tonight, listening to old music tracks I’d found of Scamp’s family singing in Conisborough Road. Ancient technology recorded on a tape recorder I think and transferred through a selection of technology to a memory stick. I wonder where these tracks will finish up and what technology will play them.

Jackie is intending heading back to Skye tomorrow. It’s been great having her. I think the place will feel empty tomorrow.

I think that was summer! – 19 March 2025

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A beautiful morning with sun streaming in the window.

It did just entice me to get up, but one look out the window confirmed my suspicion that there was ice on the birdbath. Too cold for an early morning walk. I keep thinking I should get up early and go for a walk, an take some photos, but I never really get round to it.

After breakfast I drove Scamp and Jackie over to The Fort and set them loose on that big avenue of retail therapy. I drove home. I thought I might drive up to Fannyside to get some landscapes, but instead, I dug out Scamp’s kneeling device and tried to make myself comfortable, stuck between the bins, but couldn’t settle. So it was back to the old trusted fold down canvas seat.

Strangely, tucked between the bins, I was almost invisible to folk passing by. I sat there for almost an hour with my new book “Paperboy”, written in broad Glaswegian. After that I made myself a cup of coffee and returned to the bins … and the book.

Eventually I had to stretch my legs and go for a walk into St Mo’s. Only managed one decent photo, but I liked it. A Coltsfoot Daisy. That was my dad’s favourite wild flower.

When Scamp and Jackie returned, I volunteered to walk over to Golden Bowl for tonight’s dinner Chicken Chow Mein for two and Chicken Chop Suey with fried rice for Scamp.

Tomorrow there may not be a blog post. We’ll see how things work out.