Lampost

In a square
By a tent thing

Please don't despair

I have not lost my marbles. Not completely. Not yet anyhow.

Polypan-f and the seeker of the "truth"

In my film-fridge in the darkishroom - a fridge not made of film but rather storing some whilst the outside of the fridge less than slowly rusts away - I have a few cans of Polypan-f. I bought the stuff when I had a rush of blood to the head. Here was a film costing about 20p a roll of 36 once I'd decanted it from the 100m roll. Sure it was meant to be slow - 50asa - but it could be up-rated. Sure it had no anti-halation layer but I could live with that as we have few bright sunny days to be honest. I could use it for my Futurist snaps I like to do - perfect! And it is for that. But I have just finished my Foma200 film I rather like and need some 100asa type film for a little sojourn I'm about to take.

Sure I have a few rolls of Foma100 in 120 for the 6x6 I'm taking with me. However, I'm thinking of the 35mm I'm hooked on at the moment. So, I shot some Polypan-f again in the 35mm RF camera I have and sloshed it [again] in PQ paper developer 1:10 this time though at merely 2mins. EH?

Well, it does work quite nicely, as long as one keeps away from bright sunshine. That's usually quite easy here. See the snap of The Straight where local tearaways test the speed of their vehicles whilst the rest of us keep out their way.

Truth? No such thing is possible.

Retropan 320

I was gong through a phase. More blood to the head and what have you. I wanted try everything. Everything film that is. Only, now the film I like has run out I am left with stuff I'm not so keen on. I'm sure the stuff is good really just that my skills are not good enough. And I might have over-cooked the stuff in the special developer.

I like the image right enough but the the the rendition or something less so.
I shall try again.

I know you're wanting to ask

But Her Highness Henrietta Cartier-Bresson is doing very well thank you.

Rock in a hard but lovely place

I don't think I mentioned that I had a day out with a camera - and Toots. I like to get Mr Toots out of his chair into the fresh air, usually under the guise of taking some snaps and a cream tea. Only we didn't have a cream tea but a fine scone with Jam at Ravenspoint down south Lochs way. Lovely welcome from the staff on my yearly visit to the cafe too, fair made my day I can tell you.

It's a lovely area is South Lochs and Toots like the sunshine with fluffy clouds to snap up. The sun was there although the clouds weren't. Still, Toots did stagger out of the car seat a couple of times to register an image on his camera film.

I staggered around a little too while Toots was sizing the site up, I usually managed to shoot off half a roll - like this rock in a hard place. I rather like the square format you know.

I can if I want to

Apparently we are going on holiday soon. My dear Eve told me last night. I'd forgotten/not realised it was so soon. I'm having to go an enjoy myself and everything.
I shan't tell you where were are going. The surprise will surprise you. It surprised me and I organised it.

I celebrated by feeling unwell at the weekend although I did take a short walk on the Tolsta prairie. There was sheeps there. I present them here for your delectation. That's what sheeps look like. Here anyway.

I mean; have you actually been here?

I have been here. I live here. That's what I do. Mostly.
Here in North Tolsta. But I shall show more of the delights of Stornoway, our small capitol - or at least one bit of it.

Not sure what happened here but this is definitely one bit of Stornoway.

This is another bit. By the harbour - although it's all by the harbour really. This bit is just a t ad nearer. So near that if you keep walking another 50ft past that little wheeled cafe, you'll fall in and be over-kissed by Sammi the seal.

No, I hadn't been in the pub. It's an individual style. Just not a well developed style yet!

Oh, it's a buzzing place right enough.

Black and spicy

Yes spicy - or so I'm told. Stornoway Black pudding. The one and only original Stornoway Black pudding made by Macleod & Macleod or is it Charles Macleod or here at MacDonalds. Who cares it's all dead animals and shouldn't be eaten me thinks.
Still, I can't help be mesmerized by all the bits of animals in the window. Although not in a good way.

They go mad for the stuff up here. Any excuse to eat the stuff.

The Dr said

Have another drink.
and I did
and I did suffer.

Loook

Here is a car-park. And a loo.
That's how we do things here. Nothing but the best.

Don't bother me please!

I walk up there some days. I didn't today as it's raining cats and sheeps.
I'm sitting in listening to fine play on radio4 [that's BBC and everything] called School Drama. Do listen if you have half a chance.

On the fence

See, I still have been going down to see The Crofter despite being nipped now and again by that damm dawg. The bity one that is.  This chicken - I suppose you can see that.
Printed that on Kentmere Select RC and really liking it. Easy to wash, nice surface and dries flat.

Where the ballet was

Cardiff see.
In Welsh Wales and everything.
Had to mention that as I was in English Wells on that trip too.

Three peeps

I met three peeps on Monday. I meet more than three actually but it was three in particular that stuck in my little pea-sized brain. First up is  .......... no, forgot to ask his name but he does hail from Austria and held a Leica Monochrome with a certain amount of intention at the door of An Lanntair. We struck up a conversation - as I do on account of me hold holding a camera too - a proper film one and everything. Mr Austria had been doing a bit of surreptitious street photography so in turn I did a bit of obvious portraitising.

I'd been in supping coffee with the great Toots of Bac. I think he must have been for a perm or something. Then Mrs Toots came in, said hello and went  soon after - back to work I think. Lovely. I met Colyne and Colin here too among others.

Then I was accosted, nicely I might add, by the lovely Jean from England who has been following this blog for a year or three  for some reason. Had a roll of wool under her arm too. Perhaps just trying to blend in with the locals. Was lovely to meet her so I snapped her up with my newly acquired almost new 1937 German rf camera. I almost got her all in. Well, I was so very excited that someone knew who I am.

I must write it down before I forget again.

I shall do this

I shall go and see Toots, here seen carrying his medium sized camera kit [5x7] from the beach the other day - and he does look like he was enjoying it too.

Where does it all go from now?

A captured walk along Traigh Mhor. Back to body body boarding I shouldn't be surprised. All kitted out like cats in rubber. Can you imagine? Got the walk as well as the outfits.

All happening at the moment with the sun that fell on the place recently. Not sure where we go from here really. Maybe this way. I like that way.

Or maybe some other way as yet unrealised.

The Crofter's life. Such as I see it

The Ryeland sheeps of Mum Crofter gets moved from here to there. To have some of Mrs Up-Yours' grass. They like that. Apparently.

Meanwhile the village life goes on. Occasional people wandering around in the sunshine wondering where the beaches are. Childlettes on their bikes racing round and falling off from time to time. That's life as a cyclist.

Cars. Or what's left of them

This island is known for it's wrecked cars. Out on the moor usually these days but they used to be all over the shop. Well, I found these on the Somerset Levels.

I never know with whom I'm talking

This time it turned out to be Mr D Black. A villager of repute of some sort with a lovely doggie too. I just happen to know his wife as it happens.

We had a lovely chat after David had been fishing in the sea - wading in and knocking the fishes heads with a weight on a fine string. Needless to say he hadn't caught anything at this point.

I sympathized, took his likeness with the old Olympus OM1n and came home. Twas a lovely day all round.

I use colour some times

Not often mind. Just when away or some other time that takes my fancy.

This was/is Wells cathedral. Had been there for an organ recital. I like Wells. Used to cycle down that way and worry about the climb on the way back. I used to visit with my late Mum too - go to the bead shoppe and the Good Earth cafe.

Eh? In Somerset?

Nice. Every household should have one :-)

Briftol

While I was south, I took an over-packed sardine like can of a train to Briftol. The sun shone. I visited galleries at the Museum, the RWA, the Arnolfini and other small ones. A few cafes, the Millennium square near the old docks too where I noticed the ice-cream van here and met Martin Parr on his Specialized bike just about about to snap up the hoardes. Seemed a nice chap anyway.

The old place seems to have changed a bit since I lived there.

You'll pleased to hear I survived and the train back to Somerset wasn't so bad either.

You need to visit here

Like a secondhand shop on steroids. Mesmerizing way to spend an hour or so and, spend a lot of money should you so wish to purchase a church door, a Soviet tank, a missile, a yellow submarine and more garden statuary than you can shake a stick at.  All at Wells Reclamation. Went there with sister Lynne.

Posting prints

How does one do that? I mean, I have done it but there's always an issue.

I have tried scanning and now phone-snapping. I don't like either. It doesn't show the crappiness of the print you see. Makes it look proper good and that!

Printed this some old Kentmere Fineprint - lovely paper but I am going back to Kentmere Select RC. Some emulsion but a lot cheaper [and still made]. It will stay flat and will take up less room in the piles of old prints I have round the place!

I have a little Perkeo

Oh, it fits in my bag nicely. Point it at things and soon you have a passable snap to look at. I think this is one of those snaps. It was from the Perkeo I have and I think it's nice. I like it anyway.

If you clicked on the Perkeo link you may not have come back here. There's lots of lovely info over there and everything. You'll be trawling the auction sites for a nice little folding camera in no time.

This snap is my sister Lynne's garden. Bits of it anyway. The chairs are for lounging on - when Lynne get the time - which isn't very often I can tell you.

Family; who'ed have em?

I like my family. I mean, we get on well. Mostly. Unless I've got the grumps or something.

This is sister Lynne. Master bee keeper and about ten other hats that she wears with confidence. That boy by her is Joby - her son. There's a baby in that movable bed thing. You can see the hand as it tries to climb out, crawl across the grass and eat the bees. Like they do. We saw a 'baby' like that at the ballet we went to last week in Cardiff. Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty [gorgeous since you ask. See it]. The baby turned out to be a puppet at the ballet. It stopped moving when you ignored it. And didn't make a noise. Maybe we should have taken this baby to see the ballet so she got the idea.

I went south

Family called. My sisters live down south and time passes by so very quickly so thought I'd pay a visit. Cheltenham and The Somerset Levels was were I stayed - the requisite sisters' pads.

I was in Cheltenham first don't you know but haven't found any snaps of that yet so it's by Lynne's gaff you'll see here. Lynne's bees live through that there gate. Since I'm not too keen on them I left them to it but took the opportunity too snap up the gate in the sunshine that pleased us all for a few days. 

You know I love that James Ravilious fellow and can't resist a snap towards the sun. The Minolta 5005si I had with me did a respectable job. The foma200 works well too - it's only the operator that's at fault. Still, I enjoyed the challenge. I might have to shine a light through this one onto silver gelatin paper - just like I did this afternoon with some Perkeo snaps. I might show you one of those when they are dry.

I'm back home

... and may be up and running soon :-)

Our Garry

What happened here then?

Nothing much.