Some still have to work!

Snow - in October!

Oh, well I woke up this morning t find the snow and sleet was on the ground. Blimin cold too. Rushed out of bed and snook down to the beach to take a few pinhole snaps !

A new pin

Recently, I modified my pinhole camera and as a result the snaps I took with it were immediately confined to the bin! So, last night I set too and re-modified the pinhole constructing a new pin-hole from tin-foil. The whole operation took 5 mins. And this morning, when I ended up having to take Eve my dear partner to work - as the bus came early and she missed it - I took these two snaps. I'm quite pleased.

Walk in the hail

The weather may have calmed down a lot - so much so that the ferries sailed - Isle of Lewis on Sat and Muirneag on Sunday !!!!!!!!!!!!! Eve & I went out for the stroll and on passing Roy's abode we were invited in for a nice cuppa. Great stuff, especially since it rained heavily while we were there. The walk beckoned though and we took off over the moor y our peat bank only to have to endure repeated hail-storms. No wonder Roy wasn't so keen on venturing out.
Todays snap is of Roy on a previous walk in the same area - with his lovely dog, Ziggy.

The Storm has passed

For the moment.
100mph winds apparently too. Not too much damage on the house but it was a noisy night.
Can I point one in the direction of An Lanntair for a fine exhibition of paintings - and three wonderful photos. These look like prints in Vandyke or maybe platinum from glass negs. Either way they just sing :-)

Blogs

I visit some blogs from time to time - the Hebrides based ones - obviously - but also good photo blogs. Here's one I like Camera Obscura.

Nothing to show today really as I have been making cyanotypes and they are not dry :-)

A bit of a Hooley

Approaching the traffic jam while the Hooley rages

Traffic Jam in Village

Yes, the weather is a tad rough today and yesterday and probably most of the week too. There's ships anchored in the Bay outside sheltering the storm the ferries are not playing and the Met Office tells me that visibility is 'poor'. Which it is -- especially in the Summer Parlour at home where the smoke from the fire is kippering me as I write.
I did manage a quick stroll around the village this morning in the wind and rain with the Kiev rangefinder and a 50mm lens since I was unsure whether the thing actually works. Well it does and nicely too.

Bit of a blow

Enjoying a Thin Lizzie number :-)

Any of you readers who are based up here will realise we are having a bit of a blow. Highish winds and rain make sitting by the peat-fire very enticing. Never the less, I have been in the darkroom this morning sloshing some film I shot last night at the Lewis Bar in Stornoway. Here the band Cheap Shotz were playing - and very good they were too. I recognised at least 50% of what they played such was the age of the tunes played.
Apparently, the Cheap Shotz will be playing a various venues around the island of the next few months so get along to hear them if you can.

Out and about

While we are talking activity, Ellen Hunter MKE and her tandem partner Aileen McGlynn MBE has been enjoying a ride on the back of a lorry in London today. Such are the rewards of winning gold medals in Beijing. I found this snap lurking somewhere and it depicts Mrs Hunter piloting another Beijing gold medallist Mr Kappes [second tandem]whilst Mr Hunter stretches his for ever dodgy back. Somewhere in Lancashire on the one day of sunshine that year!
Mr Schofield is my neighbour. And a very nice one too. We trolled out to Garry beach some weeks ago while his partner Moira was away. I snapped him so I had the evidence - and here it is.

Tourists

Waiting for tourists - Harris

The allure of Bosta - Isle of Bernera

Tourists arrive in Kirkwall, Orkney

The place of tourists on the Western Isles seems to be somewhat contested. On one hand the businesses that cater for visitors - cafes, artists, outdoor pursuits and the like, are very keen to help and encourage. On the other hand, it seems like the local council doesn't care or, even worse discourages visitors - despite what they may say. Try finding a place to have a pee on a Sunday on the island! Don't be put off, this place is spectacular, most people very welcoming and eager to help you enjoy yourself.
On the other hand, Orkney seems to have it sorted. Here's a few tourists visiting St Magnus in Kirkwall.

Fly away soon

I was at a chums house in t'village and we saw this fine fly sunning itself on the wall. The day before had been extremely windy so perhaps it was taking a rest. The blimin thing was huge - probably the biggest I have seen close up and so pretty too.

Exhausted

"I could have been a fighter pilot"

Like Father, like Son

Sir. Smiling as usual

A Charming Tyre Worker

Our Jalopy has been making a few noises as of late. Since the exhaust pipe developed a leak some months ago I took it to Lewis Tyre and Exhaust place - as you do and Mr ExhaustMan patched it up for me. Charged me a very small fortune. So small that I thought he was joking. The patch lasted a couple of months but eventually, the Ford quality shone through and the thing almost fell off. So I took it upon myself to revisit these charming people in MaryBank in the Big Smoke of Stornoway. [only Stornoway has little smoke of note, the air being fresher than....... well fresh. Fresher than earlier on this week anyway when I had the pleasure of visiting Edinburgh for the day to be grilled for a job. I got a job and a brilliant half-hour in the Natioanl Scottish Portrait Gallery where there are some fine photographs. However, the air is not as fresh as Stornoway's. But fresher than Manchester I seem to recall - but if you want real objective data look here.].
Getting back The Exhaust, the smilling men of Lewis Tyre and Exhaust soon fitted a new bit and I paid up but not before I managed to bag a few snaps.

More flo-floes

Colour! Argh!
Actually, I rather like it. Shot in the outer studio - AKA El Presidenti's shed.
Just as well to have some colour now the nights are closing in as fast as the banks are crashing down.
I'm afraid I find myself not surprised that the gambling personages at the stock exchange and the banks have brought this upon themselves with their daft search for ever more profits regardless of ethics and rationale. As usual, in such a system as we have the people will have to bail out the formerly rich and economics will still have precedence over the heart, the environment and sustainability. So it will.

Flower

I don't do flowers. I did today

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.