There I was sitting in a boat

This is not me I might add. It's Captn Eve looking for the the ,,, whatever one looks for in a boat.

The weather has been unseasonably good of late. The sun has been shining and the wind a mere little breeze - although coming from the east. I took it upon myself to sail the Atlantic. Went out early and everything with a village person. Only the sea stuff was a bit swelly out in the outer harbour and, I'd forgotten to make some sandwiches, so we came back after playing sailing for a couple of hours and had a green tea in the Bridge Centre cafe. As one does.

I have not forsaken you

Ha!

Donald strolls purposefully to get his kippers from the smokery.
It looks like that anyway. He might have been going somewhere else for something else I suppose. But most unlikely. It might not have been a Donald, but likely it was. Eh?

The weather has been lovely

If you are a duck, the weather was grand. Hopefully, you are not a duck now. Can you do that? Transfigure from duck to almost human?

It's been raining but it didn't stop Victor from getting out for his stroll along the road to nowhere.

The new house

There's the New House. It belongs to Wilma and her husband Donald. Only Wilma has got the hammer so it's Wilma's house.

I met Wilma again whilst out taking the air one afternoon - an afternoon by the look of it, not replete with light. Oh well, the little XA2 camera did the job. Nice isn't it? Not sure why I lug around anything bigger really. I know, it must be so I look proper and all.

Did I tell you we have had visitors?

We have had visitors staying. There, done.

Yep, that's Victor and his World Masters cycling partner Gwyneth here visiting The Crofter to see how the other half lives. Actually, now I come to think of it they didn't get to meet Gemma. Ah well, another time. I took them sailing though. And somewhere, if all is well and I don't mess up the developing thing, I might have a snap of that!

Taken with the little Olympus XA2 camera, it really is quite nice. Simple is better eh?

I've been dreaming of a warm clime

It's not some thing that troubles me usually. I blame it my pals who have been enyoying the sun variously in Cyprus, Malta and Lanzorote. Oh sorry, now I come to think of it Mick & Bee said it was raining in the Canaries! Poor them. Should be ok though when they arrive in Martiniique.

Anyway, here is a memory photograph. I mean, it is a real snap but from some months ago. In northern Spain and everything. Was too hot as well. But nice enough with the cyclists from the Tour of Spain rushing past in a right old sweat from time to time. We sat down a lot. Here was nice. Does it look nice?

Was nice enough to snap up with the Olympus OM1n.

Look at the state of 'our' roads

I know, I know, it's not really our roads. Merely one of 'our' tracks round about the village. But what am I supposed to whinge about if I can't make this stuff up? Eh? Tell me that?

Anyway, I'm going mainstream soon so I need to do what the rest of the media does from time to time - make it up.

I am a portratister

Granted I haven't taken too many portraits of personages of late. That must be on account of my inherent grumpyness, lack of talent at taking portraits and something else too.

I like fences though. That stand there all full of character and individuality. They don't complain too much and do not ask to see the results. I'm beginning to think I might specialise in fences. We have a lot of fences here after all - even if there's a 'what-ever-it-is' towering over this one.

Fankinstein

I really wish our village fank was made of wood. The sort of wooden fank that shows its age, deteriorates wonderfully and has character. Then the Bodach would look more,,,, more something when they inhabit the place with their sheeps. Instead we have this breeze block monstrosity that, I do admit, is functional but has little charm. At all.

This is not the fank. I couldn't bring myself to snap it up. Trust me, it is there nestling adjacent to the village barn full of ... stuff.

Have you noticed I have said very little? Nothing in fact

Posting every day or thereabouts has its problems. I can't always think of something to say - sensible or not. I could have told you about the sailing we did last weekend but I'm not sure you are really interested. I could have told you how grumpy I got - but if I told you that every time it happened, you'd be bored. Or I could have told you about the friends that are coming to visit.

Instead I have been thinking. Mostly because sleep hasn't been coming easily so I had plenty of opportunity. Unforetunately, the thinking hasn't helped a great deal but the snaps I have been posting are merely a non-verbal story about the island. Do let me know when you catch on to the plot-line.

The village is here bedotted with new kit homes all over the place. That's the sea out there, just below the clouds and all that.

Half-warm

Bird on a pole

Birds on the water

Birds in the air

Jack Taylor passes away

Found film

Well, it was my film all along but I found it lurking somewhere in the box room already in-camera as it were. Rated at 1600 asa, I assumed it was Foma400 but after I had exposed the rest of the roll I found it was Rollei/Agfa400s. Eh? Nevertheless, it was ok in Rodinal, good old Rodinal @ 1-50 for an hour while I meditated.

Grainy I grant but Ok all the same. Gives a fine impression of the island on a dim windy day.

Yet another kit house rises from a croft. 

More village houses of the typical nondescript nature that is prevalent round here.

This is a Sheeps. This is what they look like

A sheeps

This is a sheeps. A boy sheeps I think. That's why it's standing there all sort of stroppy scruffy looking, eyeing me to keep me out of his lair. My pal Mr Batty got bashed up badly by one of these beasts a few years back so I am tad wary in their company.

This is a car. There's always cars here, except when there's not then there are camper vans lurking, their inhabitants stalking the beach, minding their own business unaware of the beasts in their lair - although the sheeps are not always here. 

Anyway, this is what a car looks like. On the island anyway.

Trevor

Adventurers should not be called Trevor. Jean-Luc or Daedalus perhaps or some such other name would be better really. Sounds much more adventurous don't you think. Only I met a Trevor who is very ventursome. Sails all over the shop. Built his own boat, spent winters in Greenland and Antarctica as well as visiting An Lanntair. Someone should sign him up to give a talk.

I visited the fine fellow on his boat Iron Bark, parked in the Stornoway marina. Looked a bit like a younger Fidel Castro to be honest but is in fact Australian. Well, no sooner had I said hello - that's the sort of person I am, passed over our mutual friends greetings [Mick, Toots & Bee - Hannah] than I - along with my human pal Toots Wislon were invited on board for a fine cup of coffee. Obviously he must have been told of my sailing exploits and was enthralled by my tale of our voyage across the wild seas to Cromor. And back. Don't forget we came back too. All in a day and everything. I think Mr Trevor was suitably impressed -especially seeing he took at least six months to go to Greenland and back. I eased back a bit on the truths of our hardships a tad least he be put off from sailing again. You can see how obviously thrilled he was at my stories in the picture below.

Trevor's home built boat - Iron Bark - is extremely well founded and equipped although a bit spartan with not even a curtain at the windows. How he stopped those wolves looking at night on the ice in Greenland I'll never understand. Anyway, the coffee was lovely and we were made most welcome.

I took the above snap with my old Keiv6c camera - an old Soviet affair that seems to have lost it's thing on the front of the lens to help stop glare. I think it must have fallen off sometime in 1989.

Anyway, it was time to leave Iron Bark and we bid farewell to this intrepid traveller - and I do think he was sad to see us leave although he did put a brave face on.

Many thanks for the look-see and the stories. Most enjoyable time Sir.

If you see the fine fellow around do say hello - he is likely to be around most of the winter we were told.

No boats

No boats today.

But a selfie with the Vivitar UW&S camera with polypan film. Just around the village are these tracks across the moor to the fank and places.

Putt putt.

Freyja

Drop mooring rope, untangle dinghy painter from tub Freyja. Putt putt, putt etc. Sunshine, breeze, up sail, bob bob bob turn bob bob turn, bob bob uncontrolled pirouette, flap flap flap, bob bob turn bob bob sail down putt putt putt Sunshine putt putt. Pick up mooring rope. relax. Smile. Enjoy.

What a lovely morning for sailing it was. I enjoyed it anyway despite barely going into the outer harbour. Look at the weather, lovely.

Iron Bark

There was another lovely boat lurking marina-side as I dinghied out then in. Called Iron Bark she spent the winter iced in at Greenland. Madness. See his blog here. Apparently, friends with Mick, Bee & Toots.

Floaty things

I have just finished my cup of green tea - the sort that does you a world of good. Apparently. I rather like the stuff to be honest but this time there was a flyette in there. Made me thing about all sorts of floaty things - like our wee boatee that still - hopefully - bobs around in the harbour awaiting me to find enough energy to likt the thing out. Should have got the crane man to do it really when he 'did' the others a few weeks back. That's what they were doing in this here snap.

Freyja needs a good clean, a bit of varnish, some paint and tlc before we embark on our next transA..... transA... Transharbour escapade :-)

I'm still stalking The Crofter

See, that's The Crofter and the BoyShaun out feeding up the coows on the apportionment. That's the sort of exciting thing that happens here. You can see the BoyShaun is standing to attention while The Crofter climbs back o'er the fence.The coows had to be distracted with dry food so the the boys could take the roll of straw stuff into the field. I use that term loosely here.

It was, I might add, a tad damp underfoot/wheel. So I took the Zork4 camera armed with the Jupiter 8 lens and that seemed ok in the conditions.

There's more of this sort of rubbish here. Years of it actually!

Chucking paper around

Yes, yes, I have been in the darkroom doing a spot of Lith Printing. You may have noticed the colour of the paper and everything. I took this snap on 35mm camera [400s film @200 in Rodinal]. It's Denis and William don't you know. Down at Cromore - only there's a tad bit more grain. That must be the old paper I found. No idea what it is other than old fibre paper - possibly Kodak. Possibly. There's another version of this snap over on my Flickr stream. On Slavich Bromoportrait paper - all creamy and what have you.

This is that same Bromoportrait paper. Lovely isn't it? Though lacks a bit of oomph - talking emotional and all that. Lovely hay stooks though - down at Lemreway.

Gate

I think perhaps that this gate is not a local. it stands upright, straight even with wire fences on either side looking very together. The posts actually seem to hold the wire up rather than the obverse - which is more Hebridean. There's a post up there too attached to which are wires. That's for little birdies to sit upon.

This is definitely more Hebridean in nature. Closes and all. In fact it's closed for ever by the look of things. And droopy. It has little use as everyone goes round the edge. It stood still long enough for me to snap it up.

Clouding up

I'm beginning to think the onset of cloud computing is A Bad Thing. All those pixels and bits up there weighing the clouds down so even Ms Brick got clouded upon as she strolled through Stornoway past her second spiritual home the other day. The cloud was so wet and cloudy that even the camera couldn't focus properly. Obviously it was not user error.

It's not my favourite time of year

The killing factory in Stornoway is working hard at the moment. Aminals are often lined up outside awaiting their fate, poor things. I avoid that part of town if I can when I visit the place. I even have to look away when I see the trailers of sheeps on their way from the crofts to the factory. And no, I don't eat meat and have not done for at least 45 years.

Still, the sheeps fank make a fine snappage opportunity - especially in the rain. This is Gress fank I'll have you know.

How very dare you [to quote Deanne]

See, I have been in the darkroom.  I know you thought I had forsaken it but no, I had just been saving for the right day.

This is a mere sketch. On old very old Agfa MCP RC paper in Lith. Yes, it Toots and his camera. Well, one of them anyway. And yes, that was sun shining.

That Croation from Crotatia

He's posting snaps of the island that Croation man from Croatia called Denis. Lovely images too. I mean proper nice images on film and everything.

What I find fascinating is how someone from another place/space sees our patch. I would have posted one of his lovely snaps here but I don't know how. Far too complicated. But if you click here it will take you to his web-presence and you can keep up with his work over time. I know I will. I might even bring you some of the Subjective photographisers Mr Denis has pointed me in the direction of - and I like too :-). I might.

Please don't expect anything too up-market from Me today. Mr Crofter and his young lady came over the other night. Need I say more?

Here you are to be going on with. Boats with water.

Look left. Boats with water on the outside  [mainly]

Look right. Boat with water in the inside. [completely]

They've gone

Mostly they've gone anyway. These machines are all over the island in the summer. Little creatures within reading books or listening to their radio/TV as the rain lashes the windows. And still they come. But at this time of year they mostly don't. Maybe it's because I pointed my UWSViv box at them to produce this image. I like to think so.

Trust me; I have not lost it completely

I am merely saving energy for the time when my creative juices are really flowing. In the meantime I can humour my friend Toots as he shoots rolls of Velvia in the sunny woods. I took the Hassie with the 50mm lens - that flares a lot - and shot into the sun, like you do. The lens flared!

But I rather like the result, may print it and muck about with the resultant print. Just because I can. Has anyone used Oleopasto for this?