The House

A house in the village

Sailing

Please don't ask

Don't ask where this is - I cannot remember for the life of me. It is on-island I can tell you that.

I like it though. Spent a little while snapping it up from various angles but liked this here the first snap I took. I would like to think it had a touch of the Fay Godwin magic but I suspect it is but a pale imitation. Yes, go and look at the late Fay's lovely work though I must point out there are lan*scapes!

Boats

I'm not sure why but Stornoway seems to attract old boats. You know the sort - all wood and warp with red sails. Yes, they often have re sails.
This boat - Notre Dame des Flots was in this morning, washing out drying on the decks. And earlier there were loads of others around. Never know what you are going to see in the sea down in Stornoway.

Here's another. Not sure what it is but pretty all the same.

And of course there are always the Sgoths. Sailed locally for fun - apparently.

Here

Not a bad old place really. Here, there and most places [I hate the Barvas moor road though - not sure why].

But here, near where our wee boatee is having a holiday is one of my favourites. Nice isn't it? Not telling you where it is as I want it to myself :-)

Took this while out working. Working ! Imagine that.

Sir

24 paving stones with his bare / bear hands? On Blue Peter Eh? Apparently so. Well, I have got my Blue Peter badge too and I din't have to break any stones.

He's still keeping things in order today - here checking the rabbits are lining up properly on the land he manages.
Control freak! :-)

Been sailing.

http://freyja-yacht.blogspot.co.uk/

I'm re-classifying

Surely this is not a landscape?
Perhaps a portrait of a path, a study of the sky over the dunes or a mistake.
Or a social impression in a nature snap.

I was out on a short stroll be fore the daily rain. Saw this like it and snapped it up. I might do this again

It doesn't have to be 'nice', just interesting

Amazing what you can get at an underexposed neg and some old paper. Throw some Lith Chems on the paper and hey presto you have this 'interesting' print.

I'm not really into nice. Too bland for me. I was to be thrown, amazed or something like that. Interesting art is what it's all about even if it just annoys you.

Darkish room

 Well, I got round to it; sloshed a few bits of old paper in lith chems after exposing it under a few old negs. This one from a horsey thing on the island earlier in the year. This paper was Agfa MCC .

Have I shown you this?

I thinks so. However, it bears showing again.
Yes, it is local.

Forgot. Busy etc.

Seem to have missed a day. Sorry and all that. Was living. Not that I don't usually live but this type of living I have recently been experiencing has been over whelming. No time for a sleep in the day sort of time.
The Sail Stornoway thing was on. We did some sailing, flapping of the sails, panicking. Know what I mean?

We didn't do coracle polo, we left that at Portsoy

Signs

Portsoy.

Coves and Blones

Music

Them there Celtic Music Festival is here on the island at the mo - supporting act for the Sail Stornoway thing. It's an interesting backdrop for the sailing and what have you. I once suffered a plane trip with the Proclaimers on the way back to Stornoway for the Festival - they used the drummer as ballast so we could take off. Probably the only thing drummers are good for .

I prefer my music a little more al fresco. Sort of stumble upon the music on a stroll - you are never disappointed then.

Like this duo playing John Barleycorn on the Reaper boat at Portsoy.

Not so keen

Daisy road

I love these appearances. Just on the machair from place to place. The fairies put them there for a few weeks then whisk them  away again for another year. Since the weather is so very wet, I'm surprised I saw these at all.

Colour? Don't be ridiculous!

Here they are

Found this neg lurking in the dark recesses of the filing system - under the filing system [the settee ] as it happens. Dusted it off a bit and whoa, we have a snap of the lovely Daniel and Kathy from the good ship Aramis out of Cherbourg. Cherbourg France that is.

They'd sailed into Stornoway to escape the horrible weather we have been having this year - twice. [I notice that we have had 145  rain days in 2015 so far! ] Lovely people you know. Made us a cup of tea and everything. Rowed for Stornoway in the skiffs too. Oh what a lovely time they had - although they did get rather wet.

No idea where they are now since I can't find them on AIS. Perhaps they are back home. Looking forward to their next visit - it can never be as wet as this again, surely?

Sue

On the Loch Seaforth - that's a ferry if you don't know. All nice and shiny in and out sailing in calm waters with the lovely Sue on board. Off to the Portsoy Boat thingy we went to.

Sue will have been on the boat again this weekend - as we might have been - for the Ullapool Skiff Gymkhana. Only, the weather......

Dampness didn't dull the spirit

A right nice clarinettist plying her stuff on the wet streets of Portsoy, fair caressing the ears whilst her sister did the same on her harp just down the road.

It was lots of people at the Scottish Traditional Boat festival at Portsoy at the weekend, despite the dampness. I like people - in the main. I like photos of people. I'm not so keen on taking photos of people. Strange that.

That's the Reaper with the big sail. Lovely boat But hard work to sail.

These are volunteers. I liked them.

I can hear your heart sinking from here

I know you were waiting for this. You see, I have a few masterpieces from this roll of Polypan-f and if you think I'm going to pass up the chance to show them here, you have another think coming.

There's the Sail Stornoway thing coming up soon so I might get the chance to snap up a few more. I might. If it stops raining for a day. Or even half a day would be nice.

Haar!

The sea fret came in. We had over-enthusiastic heavy thrashing rain the day before but it all didn't deter this photog who was determined to get his shot at the lovely Portsoy!

You could actually see boats on the Friday - sunshine and everything.
Did I tell you about the boat parked ontop of another one in the harbour? I will, trust me.

This was the skiffs. Moving so fast I had to - whatever I did. I think I might do that again too.

So, what's going here then?

I was waiting patiently. They came my way so I snapped them up. I got it right for a change - even if the coxing I had been coerced into earlier hadn't been the unbridled success I'd hoped for.

We had been celebrated the second day of the festivals racing when we finished a magnificent 12 th! Yay. Twelfth! Only a second behind the 11th too. The mixed abilities sprint race - out to the buoy we could hardly see and then back again. If the other boat we were 'racing' had sunk or something , we would have trounced them too. Lovely fun.

Splendid weekend.

We are back. I'm sitting here with a drying tent draped around - a legacy of a summer jaunt to Portsoy.
The snaps are just  drying after development so I give you these morsels from recent weekends past

Smokey and his pals at the last check point after 150miles! And still smiling.

yes, we are boatists

Summer is the best day of the year

Am I losing my touch?

Are you getting bored yet?

Pity cause I think i may have some more of these lith prints.

Love the way this came out - bit spooky really.

Forte Elegance paper

No I don't know either

But I like it. Another Lith print from a series.
Ongoing.

Blah blah lith blah

Of course you like it! Why wouldn't you?
Lith in Forte Elegance from a polypan-f neg.

Cyclist. Hebrides Audax. Blah blah blah.