William, the lack of a crutch or two, two drinks and Ammonite.

Ammonite; over the harbour from the rotting Monaco

Town beckoned today. William was coming up from the sticks - as it happened - without his sticks which rather curtailed our little stroll around the place. We had a cup of ... all the same.

I'd noticed Gerald's little Cornish boatee Ammonite was leant up against the old jetty over by the cafe I was to frequent with William so once our thirsts had been sated we staggered along to have a closer look.

Ammonite; leaning.

Gerald once had the misfortune to work for the same company as both William and I did but he escaped before us. We went and looked but sadly Gerald was nowhere to be seen.

William went to have a closer look, tripped on the rope and nearly went rather closer than planned. Tis a lovely compact little boat and surprisingly she is made of glassfibre - not wood as one might expect.

I pointed my little Zorki4 here and there - so lovely to use with the compact yet sharp Soviet Jupiter12 lens on-board. [Many thanks to Keith Thompson - see here ]

Did I tell you we visited William in Cromor?

 William, just William takes something nice for the sheeps - with lambs - to nibble.

William was tired as it happened. Been up over the re-seedings feeding his sheeps, the ones that weren't next door to the house on the croft. That means a stiff walk there and back to see his little darlings. But he does enjoy it. And he wasn't too exhausted to accompany us along to the isle nearby over the causeway exposed at low tide. It rained. Wet rain too.

 Eve and William waiting for me to pass out through the gate - in the rain.

Eve on Eilean Chaluim Chille  [in the rain]

It was a fine stroll. Of course, it's pretty well always sunny back in Tolsta.

Tolsta. Another aspect.

I have not really got much to say today but, I will say you must visit Bosse B's blog and see his wonderful salt-prints. I mean, look at this! Just superb. Bosse is from Sweden and we met him when he was over in the Uk and I was living near Manchester. Such a nice chap too.

Just William

The sun shone today-once the lashing rain had departed. My plans to inhabit the darkroom foiled again, as one must enjoy the light when it's here. William, a former work colleague of mine arrived unexpectedly [the text announcing William's possible visitation arrived some hours later when i walked down the road] in his new white van. No string or gaffer tape holding this one together and no odd graphics on the side either advertising a closed down pottery business. We took tea in the Warming room and then enjoyed the air on Garry beach for a while as William explained to me how lucky he was not be working for the same company as as I suffer from.
Of course I took a camera - finishing off a roll of film lurking in the Voigtlander Perkeo since our hot trip to Tuscany.

William enjoying the local Tolsta air - and not talking for the moment!

I did visit the darkroom- albeit with the door open to the warm sunshine as I developed the film.

The snow has gone

William. Just William. In Cromor.

The snow has gone. Disappearing overnight with just a mere thwop-miow in the night as the stuff slid off the roof onto some poor unsuspecting cat - probably.

With an air of an escapee, I set off with my dear Eve down to see William and Gemma to witness the Cromor 'moving of the sheeps' or some such local custom. We arrived too late after the pleasant but longish drive south. The sheeps had already been taken from up there on the moor and put up there on the moor with a brief interlude in the fank by the loch for something. Something which I still haven't grasped. I asked a few times but my understanding of 'sheep-talk' - wedders, gimmers and the like - is not up to the speed of crofters and I remain in ignorance. William had a lovely time though and obviously had dressed for the part too.

After soup and a fine chat William, Eve and I had a fine stroll over those there moors alongside the loch looking out over the Minch and the fine mountains of the mainland.

Had a lovely time

I think William has caused a glitch in my pooter since he's gone all sepia on me! Must ask him how he did that. Perhaps it was his Sunday outfit that did it when we visited himself and the delightful Gemma in Cromore. Gemma wasn't there to sort his attire so William is doing a right William on us. Fantastic people though, wonderful place. I want to live there.

That's my William, looking all sheperherdy and all that. I actually didn't take my preferred camera - I didn't know we were strolling on the moor, so these lovely snaps come from an old  Konica Compact! And the 400s ASA traffic film was rated @ 800asa and I'd never done that before. Looks nice eh?

I shall visit again. Perhaps Robert James Stuart will visit agin. We hope so.

The dump

William tempted Eve and I out for a walk over in Cromor where he lives with the delightful Gemma. "Let's go over to The Dump" says William evocatively. Eh? Are you sure William I'm thinking. Didn't sound like the most fantastic stroll in the countryside I could think of.

 Back of  The Dump

William, leading the way

It was lovely though. The dump - where old cars were dumped - having long been abandoned and returned to normality. I took the Voigtlander Perkeo and shot some film.

William; and Gemma

Woodlands Cafe

Twas lovely today. I know the mainland is taking a battering rain-wise but here it's been lovely. I mean, the sun shone and not even a breeze to ruffle the feathers. I don't have feathers as it happens but you get the idea.

Eve took off on her bike for a ride down towards Cromor today and I followed a little later in the horseless carriage  Have a look here and here, you can see the sort of place Cromor is. Oh, you could look here too - I been to Cromor before you see. In fact, look there first. If you have already looked at the other links you'll just have to unlook them.

William and Gemma live in Cromor. I don't know why. Perhaps they like it there - I do, Eve does too. We wish we lived there in fact but we don't, so we visit. Drink tea, eat stuff and talk. William likes to talk too.

We took a stroll along the little road to the nearby isle of whatever it's called but I can't remember. You know, the one that used to be owned by Charlie Barley [do check out the history of Charlie Barley on this site; it is very interesting] but now is owned by someone I can't tell you about. That one. Ben, William's doggie, finished with coughing up his lunch and ran his little legs off chasing rabbits. He didn't catch any. He never does I'm told - which I found surprising since one rabbit ran between Ben's legs at one point.

We had a lovely day and everything. :-)

Portraits

As you may be aware, I don't do landscapes. They are not 'me'. I don't connect to them and they don't talk to me. Unlike William. Just Willaim is my former work colleague who 'stays' [the local for 'lives'] in Cromor miles from here. But a wonderful place don't you know? Probably not but I do. Trust me.

Here's William doing what he does best, talking. I was listening, nodding sagely from time to time - in between supping my fine Mocha in the Woodlands Cafe in the castle grounds.

See, that's not a landscape is it? That's our William

We have a craft/art shoppe in Stornoway that I visit on occasion to soak up some art-vibes or whatever one looks for to make nice snaps. They sell art paper and what have you. Lots of it and sometime I buy it - when I want to make cyanotypes - on account that if it's art-paper I must be making art - right?. So I felt Ok about sneaking this little snappette of Mrs Craft-Shoppe practising painting or something in her window. This isn't a landscape either is it, eh?

Mrs Art-Craft Shoppe

Strangely and a little worryingly I have had a request how I made the snap from yesterdays post. The real answer is I have no idea but, I did use a camera with film in it - albeit slow film. Shot from the hip at 'things' with 1 second[ish] exposures. Then printed it as a Lith-print. Hope that helps! I couldn't do it again if I wanted to. 

Charlie

 William

 William and Charlie

William holding the wall up

We went here

We went there and met Charlie.

Resolution

My dance teacher; Karmiena on Christmas Day. This is the 'swing' move.

I was discussing life, work and snapology today. We took a short trip to our small capitol where my good pal William met us to swap over the work equipment. Boxes exchanged, we looked at each other while William talked about 2011 over a mocha in the cafe. Twas very revealing I must say; William has made a 2011 resolution that he will provide a service for meditation, crystal therapy and colonic irrigation - just as soon as he can get the hosepipe extended out to the shed! Not sure if this is a service for the sheeps but either way I think I may avoid Cromor for a week or two till Williams little scheme has receded from his mind.

Then we caught up with Lewis Photographica over a coffee. Mr Coelyn was effervescent with excitetude for some reason. I suspect it's cabin fever after being somewhat house-bound after ballet step taught by Toots went wrong on the stairs. Mrs Coelyn tried the same move with a similar result. I suspect it was that since Toots was keeping very quiet today.

All the same Mr Coelyn suggested I try this and that in 2011 - and I might just do that or something like that. Possibly.

I am going to try a little more paper-neg photgraphising, continue some more documentary stuff around my home village and generally cause more imaging havoc. As I do.

William

Love this snap of William taken a few years back when he took us for a windy stroll near his home. We still see William and Gemma regularly which is just lovely.

Seem to recal using the old Zorki6 for this, must get the old thing [camera that is] out again.

I may have lost it........

My pal William used to work with me. Well, for the same company anyway doing the same sort of thing and this meant carrying a bag of 'bits' / wires / plugs around to the various locations. When he gave up the job, the bag he had went to my colleague Alec who reckoned he fed his sheep for a month on the hay he got out of William's bag!

I was reminded of this after paying lovely visitation to William and Gemma today and since looking at this blog-site where they show people's camera bags like this one for example. My bags for camera portability is nothing like this one at all. It's more like Williams without the hay - mostly. I'm not going to show it to you as I have several bags with cameras lurking within. None of the bags are 'proper' camera bags but rather bags I use for carrying cameras. And film, and glasses bits of this and that, dust, odd things I have forgotten about - and that's why I'm not going t show it to you!

Instead here is a digi-snap taken with a very old half-a-pixel camera we have had for yonks - which cost a fortune at the time and is barely used. The snap depicts two of my gaffer-taped cameras I use from time to time. Proper cameras with film and everything. The one on the right is a Petri7s - which does the job nicely. And the one on the right is a Voigtlander Perkeo - which is a lovely little thing. But snuggle in a bag - but separate bags at the moment as they are prone to fight!

I'm doing OK

Stuff happens. It does, really, and it has been happening of late. Life goes on with a little help from the wonderful mindfulness meditation, the introduction of pilates into my daily regime, a visit or two to my Reiki teacher, a few crystals in the pocket and hung round the neck and seeing friends helps bring one back to 'normality' - whatever that is.
I also took a late-night visit to some stones out west on the island with Eve and my Reiki teacher for summer Solstice. I must admit though that the addition of loud music rather dampened the occasion but I got a snap or two.

 Waiting for something to happen -Solstice

 Something might be happening - Solstice

 Mr Windy - working.

Just William and Colin - Leica Man

I met William in An Lanntair under Calum Angus Mackay's  wonderful silver gelatin print 'hair clam'. William has retired from the employ we used to work together in but he is such a nice chappie I like to stay in touch. Colin, the Leica Man looks in a state of shock and I suggest it's because he had been traumatised after being separated from his beloved Lieca II[d] for a week. You can follow the extent of Colin's trauma and subsequent therapy here. Colin is one of the select Lewis Photographica [con't] who meet in An Lanntair every week to whinge at each other. What else would one do?

Meanwhile, while the world is continuing to become less habitable for humans as a result of our [note; not 'your'] greed and self-importance, I'm trying to get my head around an alternative and sustainable modus operandi with which we can live without ruining the bed we lie in. Give me another week please.

Whoa! Steady on chaps.

I met the chaps today only, they seemed a little at odds with each other. William looks like he wanted to take Alec's lights out. And Alec wasn't too happy about that. It must have been William's crutches that Alec was a tad worried about. Having said that, I'm not sure William could punch his way out of a wet paper bag - even if he wanted too. And Alec is a black belt, fifteenth dan in Origami or something. Game over I'd say.

Alec definitely was on edge today. Wouldn't let me take his snap properly so I took it anyway and got a better images as a result. I think I might print this huge and post the image through his door.

Do you know this man?

 

I know this lovely man. It's William and he lives in a lovely place by the sea with his equally lovely wife Gemma. You might have met William here before. He appears from time to time. I love this man but sadly he is not quite at his best these days.

Bill and I worked together for a few years rushing round the island at night, tangling wires and balancing arials as we sought to wire the island's miscreants up. I mean, we were trying to set up monitoring of said peeps  although not without hassle.

It didn't always work - the locality and the landscape often getting in the way of a developing technology. The peeps were sometimes less than lucid or cooperative although I have to say most were friendly.  We had fun though. Mostly. 

William stopped working the job some years ago while I slogged on with new technology with the help of my other colleague Alex. 

We stay in touch - and why wouldn't you? Such a lovely man.

Waiting for William

Cromor.

At William and Gemma's

Just William

My PAl William came for a chat and a coffee today so I shot him - wif my old view camera [The Yeltsin - its Russian and falls over a lot]. Shot with a magnifying-glass lens on paper and contact printed onto AGfa FB and sepia toned.

just william

 

You may well have seen this before but since I like the snap so much it gets another showing.

Of course it is my pal William from a few years back. It's a paper darkroom print from a paper neg. I used an old soviet fkd camera - all gaffer tape and elastic bands - with a shutter which consisted of an air activated [i blew into a rubber tube] barn-door type thing that barely missed Bill's nose as it opened. Great fun. The shallow depth of field was caused by the close-up lens I'd taped in the camera without any other lens in front of it. Don't know why I didn't do this more often!

We need more rain - like a fish needs a tandem :-)

 Toots in An Lanntair

 William in An Lanntair

Norman in An Lanntair

It rained again today. It's pouring down as I write despite or perhaps because there was a wonderful red sunrise this morning coming up over the mainland mountains. As they say, "Red sky in the morning, Sheepherder's pie at night" - or something like that. Which, as it happens is wrong since we are having potato cakes and other veg.

Twas lovely despite the dampness. I met Mr Leica Man at his Hebridean Garden Machinery, then William, my former-work colleague for a Mocha in An Lanntair. Norman was there of course then along happened Toots. That's the nice thing about this place, you'll be pretty certain to meet someone you know every day.

And yes, these are meant to be blurry ! Made with Kodak Fine Grained Positive and Polypan-f film.

Oh my! William and Eve

 

2011 and everything. Bill was well and took us on a wild goose chase over yonder moor looking for something - something that escapes my mind now. We had a fine time by the look of it. Now William is somewhat unwell and cannot enjoy these sort of jaunts but he's cheerful all the same and we will have been to see him by the time you read this.

Yes, I know there a flaw on the neg - a white line down Eve's trooser leg but I  left it like that to remember the camera - a lump of a Soviet Kiev 6c with fantastic glass but dodgy mechanics. The camera doesn't work at all now.