Darkroom day

Was raining when I woke up - for a change.
Went into the darkroom and sloshed things around. But not this snap.

Bicycles and a long day

There was a cycle ride happening on Saturday. Not Sunday too as the organiser found the two days of over-long days just a bit too much. All the same, our day commenced at 9am when we left for the start as Eve was riding the short 100km ride. There were 300km riders too - only they left at 6am!

Rained a bit. Wind was blowing a bit. Cyclists pedalled a lot and good fun was had by all. Even the marshals waiting at The Butt till 11pm enjoyed the day. I hope that feeling is captured in this futurist snap!

A Smart idea

What to do with a little German car that costs too much to mend? Turn it into a hen-house.
Nice work by the Viking in South Lochs.

Would you like to be here?

I like it here - just down the road, through the fog and currently, the rain - again.

It was never meant to be like this

I'm still flouting my last roll of film. The one from the Perkeo. There's a few snaps on I like but the darkroom sesh has not materialised - yet. It was too hot outside [11c] so I snugged up by the fire.

No, not in the darkroom. I really must venture in there soon - once the water that came through the roof in the recent deluge has dried a tad. I did this on the pooter. Not the snap, that, like the last post was a Voigtland Perkeo do, but the processing was messed with on the pooter. Much too easy and everything.

I have an excuse. I was at a meeting this evening. Sailing and such like meeting. Don't ask! I'm chillin now!

And if you are wondering; it's a bird.

Walk with a Perkeo

See, the rain does stop. Stopped for at least 30 mins - enough to stumble out into the open and see if the peat banks are completely under water. They are not which is surprising.

I took the stroll out over the rough terrain towards the old peat bank. I like it there. I make snaps I like there. It pleases me and everything. The air is good too - crisp cool and clear. What's not to like?

The Voigtlander Perkeo came with me too - with my last roll of Foma100 I had hanging about.

Flipping heck!

It isn't recently. Earlier in the year as it happens - over on Skye in Fairy Glen. But it felt like this yesterday with that cold North wind.
1 day past Mid summer!

four boats

One being used. By Gerald the Great.

I'll knock his block off!

I really feel like that. Out driving the roads of the island trying to pin him down, wrestle him to the ground [metaphorically anyway] and then verbally slap him about a bit. Only I can't. Not allowed and all that. So I came back home, found this snap from a few days back taken with a Bronnie and show it here.

I'd like to live in that white house I thought as I stood on the edge of the beach taking the snap.

I have been here before

Of course I have been here before. I live just in this village, by the sea and everything. And Yes, I have made a snap from here before. It draws me or something. You know, the line of the track, the houses, the sea, the posts. Only, left the print in the bleach too long but I went ahead and threw it in the toner and here we have 'it'.

Summer

Yes, yes, it's raining again. The summer weather is illusive as ever. Twas cold and damp when we took off to the wee boatee in the harbour to retrieve the recalcitrant mechanical paddling device. The wind was unruly too, blowing this way and that and threatening to send our little blow-up boat onto the rocks. Tis summer.

Perhaps it will change - as the evenings close in.

I blame it on the media [as one does] who said last year how this island is a hidden gem. It is, but as a result the weather is awful.

Anyway, I took this neg I found  at home on the floor under the settee and recreated it as illustrative of the current times.

Ilford MG FB/ Sepia

Ohh, I cannot resist

Don't tell me, you can resist!

This is what happens when the morning stroll goes along one of the local beaches, you see some wonderful patterns just sitting there minding their own business and you have to have them. Snap them up for posterity, show them to others - that sort of thing. I think I may have done this before!

Fine fellow

I wasn't surprised to meet him there. It is after all the ram retreat at this time of year. So I didn't turn my back on him in case he took offence to me being there and seeing him with his unkempt coat.
I snapped with the end of a roll of Tmax400 I had in a camera and developed that in Firstcall Superfine developer. A cheap but quite nice soup that does the trick.

HHHCB + 1

Hetty is the one on the right.

Gone

Had another lovely visitor last week. Dominique from France who lives in England. Here we are at Reef harbour me thinks. Lovely place and lovely lady - now in Skye for a few days. Hope she will visit again.

Second best

Not sure what there is to capture here. All those flippin stones get in the way of taking people snaps.

Even though there's quite a few likely candidates for a snap-up they hide behind the stones. Must have been easier when the peat was almost covering them. And people stood still and didn't smile when you took snaps with your plate camera. I overheard some 'guide' fella talking about the stones names. Not sure he knows about Brian. But then, neither do I. We don't talk about Brian any more.

Snapper looking.

Best I can do in the circumstances

See, where's this eh?
Well, I'll tell you although I wouldn't usually but I'm tired and not thinking straight - put the wee boatee in the water yesterday and I'm wasted now. Anyway, where is this? Still not got it?

Callanish Stones that's where is it - some sort of stony thing put up by someone some-when and now making money for the locals.. All sorts of snapping goes on there. It's a wonder there are any pixels left in the world when so many are collected by so few here. I used the old Pentax Espio Mini. Yes, you can tell.

Here we go again

Been in the darkroom a bit. With The Visitor.

We'd been learning up the darkroom thing for the Visitor. Waving hands, that sort of thing.
This was what we did. Well, I looked on while the visitor waved and things. I took the snap though - of another visitor who came up to eat food - as you do. As he does anyway. It's ok, he doesn't look here.

Messingup

Bought some HP5, shot some and then messed up the development. I think. I hope it's not messed up film I have! I mean HP5 is usually the bees knees. Used Firstcall Superfine developer which has been fine on other films.
Bother. This was going to be a masterpiece! And I lost some nice snaps of yoties. Bother again.
Salvaged this neg on the pooter.

Have I told you about Eve?

I may have but if you have not read about her, I shall repeat myself. It's well worth it anyway.

Eve is my dearest partner. We are civil partners and have been for eight years or so now. Life is good. Especially when my life is with Eve.
Have I told you that Eve rides a bike? Well, Eve rides a bike. Has done for many's the year. Won a world championship on the velodrome in 2006 as well.
Have I told you how lovely Eve is?
Eve is really lovely. That's just the way she is.

Here she comes!

Dustbinscapes

One from my series of dustbinscapes. Granted it's a litter-bin but it comes from the same family. The man was trying to get his wee boatee to follow on its lead I think. I did think about mentioning that the boateee might be in need of a bit more water - but thought better of it.

Whoa! Colour stuff! And not only that but a transparency or a slide as you granddad might have called it. Tis all a bit complicated but it is film - sort of black and white with more colour and a positive not a negative. Oh, just ask someone who knows about such things.

I like this project and I'm sure it will progress - colour or b&w

Next.......

Here is our most recent visitor, tearing it up on the beach before running for shelter when the rain came down yet again.
Our esteemed visitor is called Angelica - a film-maker all the way from Ullapool and strutting her stuff on the island.

Angelica will have gone home by the time you red this weather permitting but it's been lovely to see her again.

More castling

See, traditional innit? All that tin or something. Proper bent and the like. Lovely effect it has on one. Makes you snap up with the camera all afternoon - if I had the film.
I do have some more of this type of film - Foma400 - and seem to have found a sweet spot. Rate it at 200asa, develop it in Rodinal for 10mins [1;50] - sorted.

Nice isn't it? The dirt could have done with a bit of smoothing or something though. Having said that the nice men with spades are putting some plants in there. Saw one man with clipboard pointing at the ground to another man with spade. That must mean something surely?

Look there's the great Toots prowling the fences with his Pentax poised. Nearly anyway.

Surfi [with lightleak]

Sorry about the colour. It came out of the Holga. It's not me really. No idea what to do with it and the camera is too complicated. The lightleak might please the cognoscenti though.

Castled oop

Ok, tis not the castle really, just an adjunct if that's the right word. I think it's the right word, if not just pretend it is. This carbuncle of goodness is attached to said confection of a castle and houses, will house the Isle of Lewis/Harris museum. Nice eh?

The sun was shining  for a wee moment and I shot into toown with Mr Toots to make a snapping up with my Holga. This is what it saw - along with some light leaks later in the roll of film.

Not sure what the architecturally literate Mr Toots makes of the place but, he shot it with his Pentax all the same and, here this, finished a roll of film. Only another year till it gets developed!

BTW; we got heavily rained upon soon after!

We are still awaiting summer!

E29

It's not a camera that I use very often on account of the requisite film not being available. And it's blue and everything. But I did use it the other day. The day of the storm had passed and the sun shone - before the next storm came in. Has been like that all winter or so it seems.

Photographic paper was my fuel of choice - Jessops VC/RC to be precise. Inverted the results.

I might have to play with this some more.

On the way home.

Eve; granted I don't seem to have nailed this one. The light got in through the back and Eve's visage disappeared.

O'er t'road.

Rowing

Here Vice Admiral Gerald puts the final touches to his table of 'things' at the very wonderful Stornoway Rowing Gymkhana the other day. The weather played well too mainly - although I did have to dodge the drips in the control tower [Gerald's well-appointed work-van that threatened to melt the soles of my shoes!] as the rain dripped through the tarp overhead now and again.

Still, without VA Gerald and his lovely partner Sue, the event would never have taken place. And what fun it was. I had fun anyway. I was timing - handing out fines etc [although they have yet to be paid - I am owed a choc-bar at least by one crew from another island.]

Anyway, moving on swiftly, this is the Nicholson School's St Ayles skiff getting taken down the slipway - very aptly named I might add. The events were brill. Shawbost seemed to monopolise the prizes but Barra should at the very least have won best turned out skiff!

Fused

This is our William, at home with a smile on his face. He's had the op - sorting his painful ankle out. Cheerful as always, and welcoming too. I stayed, talked and everything. I like that. I hope William did too as I shall be going again soonish.