That's it; I'm close to throwing myself off the edge of the ...... carpet!

La la la LA LA LA LA LA. 

Has it gone yet? I mean, can I open my eyes and see if it's gone? 

Oh, I can't hear anything. Can't see nowt neither, the curtains are drawn and everything. It's all stopped shaking too. Maybe it's stopped - for the time being.

They are really nice mind you but that hammering - argh! Only three weeks to go and it'll be all over - if I haven't thrown myself off the [fairly ] deep pile carpet first!

Anyway, as I wasn't saying - but should have been, I found this little snap I tooked a while back whilst slumming it in Ayrshire - that's the mainland UK just below the bit just above and all that. I was there for Mr Posse's celebration of 75 years past his birthday. This was / still is Angie, posing in the water. The sea stuff.

This will see the inside of the darkish room - once I can find a space and a suitable moment.

Sorry and all that

Have now extracted my head from a dark place. The world looks better now.

I have looked at a snap from our week away and, decided on a new career. Can't be all bad can it?

"Ere, are ye off with that camera thing of yorn to snap up them boats again Jazzer"?

Yes, I'm going to write a play based on the Achers characters - and cameras and boats. Of course. What with global warming, sea level rise ! Eh? You hadn't thought of that had you? Well, I did. Writ the first line and everything. I might even have a title. Bound to be a hit. I'm already looking at new a Leica camera and Boats to spend my ill gotten gains from the play.

I'm not feeling good about myselves

Yes, you read that right - 'selves'. How can I beat myself up if I am only one? Tell me that. Eh?

And I feel right beat up I can say. All beat up inside, the head is thick with beat-up-ness and the eyes only 'see' something like this print snap thing.

Mind you, the snap thing is nice - you don't have to tell me that, I know it. It has I think pure essence of Spainland. At least I think itwas snapped there. It still has essence of Spainland even if it isn't there. I shone some light through a suitable neg onto some old paper I found at the bottom of my small pile of paper. This was then shoved into some RoleiLit and, I ended up with this. I like it. Even if I don't like myself [at the moment].

I did this

from the set; Spainland

Got out the Rollei Lith chemicals, some old Agfa RC paper and shone a light through a neg. This is what I got. I rather like it.

I particularly like Lith printing. One never quite knows what you can get. Sure Dr Tim Rudman seems to have a way of reproducing things nicely but the unpredictability of the process [for me] I do enjoy.

I might get round to something else soon

These Picos Europa hills were rather photogenic what with the nice hooses and them there rocks - not forgetting the eagles and vultures flitting around the place. Couldn't resit snapping here and there. Particularly here. Nice cafe here too.

Not sure we will be going to abroad next year - apart from England - on account of all the hassles travelling, the declining state of the world's atmosphere/climate and the fact that I at least am getting old. I might has to re-visit my moving life snaps!

Spanish ferret shoppe

Probably

Other

Trips off the island usually mean an opportunity to see some ART - or things represented as ART anyway. That's a discussion among myselves for another day.

Recently we took off to The Yorkshire Sculpture Park [YSP]- somewhere in Yorkshire, which did seem apt. There was grand work being shown by Ursula von Ridingsvard. Inspiring stuff though I don't think it'll fit into the Summer Parlour here. Although perhaps that's not the point - it looks just lovely where it is and everyone can see it there. The YSP is fantastic, lovely to stroll around on a warm day, plenty to discover including Andy Goldsworhty, Ai Weiwei and many others as well as Ursula's work. You must visit. We did - again.

....and steward

.... and viewer

bench and shadows. This maybe not ART but merely arty.

Picos

Nice eh? Not the snap, the place. Although it was a bit hot and everything. The drinkie in the local cafe cooled us a tad though.

Even Mr Coelyne might like this one - apart from the lack of focus, the composition and so on.

The porpi's were there

We were on the boat. Sailing. That sort of thing. These little porpi swimming all over the place.

This wasn't sailing

I have mined a few .........

After the disaster of the sticking films, I have found a couple of negs I really like. Ones that will see the inside of the darkish room - once we manage to sort the house out and empty the darkish room.

Yes it's from the Gug again. It really had an effect on me - all that ART and everything. The building and all that. Obviously it was the camera that did it, the film too I suppose. Not sure why this is like it is and I like that.

Mmmm, I'm onto something here. Wish I knew how to do it!

here's another

This one I like too - with all its faults.

One more way to mess up films

I thought I had done it all. Under then over-development, putting fixer in before the developer and all that. Now, I mess up two 35mm films by allowing them to stick together emulsion to emulsion in the drying tent thing. The fan wasn't on so they stuck good and proper. I might have a little scan of them sometime to see if I like the patterns it made when I took them apart. Is there anyway else I can mess up?

In Burgos

I was channelling HCB when I took this with my 50mm lens on the OM1n. I've had the impression he would have taken a snap like this. And it's slightly out of focus - very HCB. Anyway, I quite like it and that's what counts.

The Gug

Yes, yes, we went there too. Sort of sucked it all in, breathed the air, looked the look, marvelled at the structure and felt the vibes. They were good.

Loved the feel of the building and, the things in it. Surely we can have one in North Tolsta. Please.

I snapped it up with the Bronica and Rollei25 film - which all seemed to work magnificently well..

Rodney

Of course I took a snap of Rodney in Spainland. Despite the searing heat [Rod had just exited the air-conditioned SKY team bus] the OM1n performed flawlessly. A lot better than I.

Rodney was last seen supping in The Butty Bus with that Mr Maher [rhymes with 'Cahr' - a Manc one that is].

On another note; the lovely voice of Dylan Winter [Radio4 etc] will be sailing into Stornoway next week. Good to be good!

Biking Spain

Watching the world

The thing I really like about being away from home is being about to 'be'. I love watching the world and sometimes, just sometimes I like trying to get it's likeness onto film.

I took an Olympus OM1n away with me. It's an old camera and an SLR but somehow these days I can't be getting on with rangefinders.

Love this snap. I was eyeing up a shot down the road when I noticed something in the bottom right. Refocussed and there you have it.

Yes, I went in a cafe too. Just the one mind you and this was it. Outside the cafe anyway. The moment captured on film.

Yes, well, you can't always get it right can you? I was trying to snap up the spectators as it happens and luckily caught the front wheel of a fast cyclist too.

And I managed to use a suitable film and developer for the occasion. I must write that in my diary as a first! What was it? Fomapan100/Acurol-N

At this point we are still on the hill

Waiting for fast uphill cyclists on a hill.

Actually, if one experiences such cycling by such cyclists its more like 100 motorised vehicles being chased by 200 sweaty if colourful cyclists who are in turn are being chased by another 100 vehicles or so. For 200 km or so in temperatures that seemed to be at least 200C [in the shade].

There's one, there's a racer. 

Only it wasn't. The vehicles that had passed us were camper vans and cars with wig-wearing occupants heading for the top of the climb - where this weary looking cyclist was off to. The road opposite was paid for by Cubans - Émigrés from the village below. I read that on that stone thing whilst the day was passing.

Buses came this way too - although not this day. A man on a nice little baby tractor came this way in then out of that little track over the road. I liked that. Spiced the day up a bit as we waited, fanning ourselves, drinking water and chatting. I chat; did I ever tell you that?

Sorry, did I say 'holiday'?

We have been away. Away from the island and all that. Ferries, driving and what have you. Visiting family, an old work-place, a Gug, watching a bicycle race and seeing peeps I used to work with. Is that a holiday? One thing I do know for sure, I wasn't on 'vacation' ! Eh? Where did that expression come from anyway?

There we were, slumming it up some mountainside trying to escape the over-hot air, looking for cyclists passing - fast, uphill. The bend looked a good spot. Could see all down the mountainside till, the bits you couldn't see. Saw up the mountain too since we were only half way up. Away from all the lunatics who wear silly wigs and run along side the fast pedalling cyclists and all that. Of course we had the outfits but not the energy!

I then saw these deckchairs come out being carried by a be-sandaled man, with hat. Could only be English - and they were. The very nice John and Denise who came up on the hill from their lovely wee hoosey in the mountains to see if they could spot racing cyclists too. As to who the other chap was, no idea.

Of course I pointed a Bronica at them. Why shouldn't I? I had film in it too - Foma400 as it happened, now soaked in Rodinal and stuff.

Normal

Back to some sort of reality soon. Just back from a small holiday.

Now that's a boat!

Solo show 2

There's another snap from the solo show. The last snap was done during my 'van Gogh' period while this one was in my ongoing 'dark' period.

The exhibition is hung in a contemporary style. When I say hung I really mean 'put' but put lovingly on the chair to the left/right of the filing settee and adjacent to the solid-fuel heater thing which currently doubles as a rest of a box of cake making. The stove is off I might add.

Solo show

I don't think I've mentioned my solo show. What with all the goings on, life and everything getting in the way. It's not exactly been a priority. But now as you can see I am showing a few mounted images at a rather exclusive galley in the village here on the island. Yes, I've seen it now it's hung. Looks lovely I must say.

Obviously, the image here is merely an Instax of the original silver gelatin 1 of 1 print in-situ I believe the term is.