ORWO N74

Look, I may be using a new film which I probably overdeveloped in ID11 after inadvertently taking some snowscapes but I rather like the result such as it is.

I was with the Alex of Boyd that day. Him of the Lanntair and everything. He came up to snaffle a few pixels from our lovely environs and made friends with The Crofter too. Goodness knows what will will happen there.

Oh, by the way, have a very happy and fruitful 2018 dearhearts.

Smaller agin

Oooops, I overdid it again. Took much development and everything.
Still, I like the resulting image.

A sprinkling

We had a little snow the other morning so I took the old Petri7s out for some air. Out the back by the village fank and everything. I love the lay of the land out that way, the bend in the track, Muirneag behind.

 The sea flanks the village - looking benign on this calm but cold day. There's sealife out there too -seal, whales and dolphiniums.

There's that there fank down by the village shed. yes, it's all leaning - must be a storm coming .

Going bigger

Went out with a bigger Kiev camera yesterday, the kiev60 6x6 beast. I'm still recovering from carrying the thing down the road.

This is The Crofter's father-in-law who made the mistake of agreeing to help muck out the big shed.  The Crofter considered it promotion. They kicked the coows out - bar Eric the bull - and started shovelling. The tractor that nearly goes properly was pressed into service. How long it took to start the thing I don't know since I arrived part way through the process. The sh... stuff was partly moved and everything - and it smelt like it too.

Work in progress

I strolled, I snapped I developed.
In the Castle Grounds, with the Kiev4a and DDX
Now you know

Mindlessness

Look, I'm trying to re organise the files in me mind. It won't take long but please forgive me while it defragments.

What's it all about then?

I think it's all been lost in the mists of time.

Is it here yet?

Whatever tomorrow means to you, here's hoping it's a lovely day.

Best wishes to everyone who swings by here.

There's words down there.

That's just down there looking bac up. The wordsmith will be there soon.

It might be Windy this holiday

There they are, the lovelies that are Mr Windy and his gorgeous wifey Deanne, posing in front of something, somewhere. Bumped into them whilst thinking about considering the likelihood of actually getting round to make a list for the festive period. I do this most years and hang the list as decoration. It looks lovely like that I can tell you.

It's getting to that time of year......

It does work really

That Kiev 4a I have, the Contax clone from the former Soviet Union bloc does work let me tell you. The Jupiter 8m lens is ok too. The rangefinder - wide as it is does the job too. When the gaffer tape holds. Read about the camera here.

It's not working for me

It wasn't meant to be like this. I mean, the good Crofter was meant to feed oop his sheeps when the snows came but the snap went a little wrong.

I mean, it was cold. Quite cold; enough to slow the mechanism of the Kiev 4a I had loaded with Foma400 film. So I'd had the thing on the side of the Rayburn stove warming happily to keep it sweet. It worked as you can see - only it softened the glue on the strip of gaffer-tape I'd used to attach the film end to the makeshift spool and it came off.

You win some, you lose some

Stop

Oh well

Might be better soon.
HHHCB out checking the neighbours earlier in the year. or was that 2014?

I hate this time of year I'm afraid. Sorry and all that. I do love the music that gets played on Radio3 about this time of year though. Like this;
.

Yep

Still here and feeling a tad better today.
Not been out with the camera though.
Did twiddle a bit of crepe paper ready for some seasons decor.

Festive stuff

Sorry, not at my very best at the moment. Back to full service again soon.

Have a wonderful festiveness this season - whatever it means to you.

Four tractors

Back then, back in 2013 this was Donald Four tractors - of this parish conversing with William and Gemma on the beach. How lovely was that!

And captured on ORWO film too. Now, I like that film but just a tad pricey for me.

She's not there

Of course, you may not know I bother The Crofter regularly down at Croft 2a to take snaps from time to time. I found Daisy, a neighbour of mine who lives in a big house with her human pets and dog pals had the same idea too. Only she didn't have a camera but looked like she was chasing rats. She'd been in all night it seemed. We greeted each other and she followed me back up the road to her home. Oh she was a tad hungry when her human pet let her in.

It's still here

It all makes the village look so very lovely. We strolled up to see friends yesterday in the sunshine that made the place glisten - until the falling snow came back.

I could cope with this weather for a month or so but it's not cold enough and will melt soon no doubt.

A dusting

Little bit of snow around the last two days. Twas after storm Caroline when the ferries stopped for two days.

HHHCB again

Aaaah [and everything].

Saw the Jane Bown thing in the Grawniad the other day and was inspired. Only, HHHCB is not talking to me at the moment due to an unforeseen disagreement on the food front.  So I have mined the archive for this lovely snappette of her catself and lovely, darling Eve.

Once time has passed, I shall book HHHCB for a new portrait sesh.

Sorry and all that

There was a wee breeze up here yesterday. The ferries stopped playing and everything - oh, and the buses for a while. And it seems I have become a tad over-creaky and may have to visit the vet for a look see or something. It would help if I could sleep at night.

So, this is how things feel currently. I may be feel like snapping some more new stuff soon.

This was then

It could almost be now. In fact it might be now only, I took this snap a year ago. Perhaps time has become unbolted.

The little folding Perkeo served me well here - despite the wind and rain.

We have rain, wind and some snow forecast for the  next few days. I might even get more darkroom work done.

Are you fed up with these yet?

I have to take snaps all the time. It's what I do.

It wasn't snow

Just sand and stuff. Seaweedy stuff deposited after a storm the days before. The snow hadn't yet arrived. or maybe had already gone. Who knows? You don't think I keep a diary do you? Ha ha ha, knock me down with a feather, you do !!!

And Toots is practically in his spring weather gear here - only 3 jackets and his favorite hat.

Must have been the Espio Mini

The Pentax Espio Mini is the only camera I have that does the 'what it's like to look at something through a letterbox' kind of thing. Apart from the other cameras that do that - but i rarely use those.

I cannot imagine what the point of this feature is apart from being able to look though a letterbox feeling.

Having said that there are few letterboxes on houses here - and those that are there are usually taped up as the wind ratttles them and howls through them in a blow - and that's a lot of the time. The postperson herebabouts knows the doors are open and deposits the bills in the porch. Yes, we have a porch on the front of the hoose and unlike many people here you can come through it to enter the place. Here it's rather more usual to the enter the hoose through the back door !

Has bin

Ha, ha ha, ["Gerorff"  - sorry, that was Hetty the cat who was throwing my careful filed negs on the floor. Granted it was so she could sit on her settee without being poked in the eye by a stray Foma400 neg, but hey! ].
Anyway, as I was chuckling to myself,,,,, for apparently little reason now I re-consider it in the cold light of midday, Ha ha, what a wit I am with these titles some days. Ha ha.

No, sorry, I think I've lost it.

self landscape

It's into December now. The nights have drawn in but the sun decided to show its face today as the accordion concert plays on Radio 3 here.

Just thought I'd have a look at some negs I found falling about on Hetty's settee in the Summer Parlour. Used a camera lying around here to take this. Film as well - i suspect it was..... - actually I have no idea. It was developed in PQ universal developer though, I can tell you that. It's a landscape of self. Myself.

Guess what Toots was doing?

This was my pathectic attempt.

Whilst Toots was working with the big gun.

More visitors

Not sure these youngsters enjoyed the flash boucing off their shiney little faces. Still, they stayed for a while and exchanged pleasantaries. Oh how we enjoy their company.

I notice that a chap who has a gaff on the island - Crobeg actually - has been given a peerage. Read it on the royal news blog, obviously.

A visitor

She hasn't visited this week but I caught her likeness last week using a bit of flash on the espio mini. The foma400 film was then developed in PQ universal. I'm trying to obtain an interesting effect - and it's not working

Light and bright

Twas a light sunny day yesterday when I tootled into toon to see Toots in An Lanntair, take the air and what have you. I wasn't feeling my best to be honest so I was very pleased to be able to enjoy the bright sunshine that invaded the place.

I retired to bed soon after.

It's coming

Feels like it anyway. The fire is lit, the chestnuts roasting on the Rayburn and the cat whinging by her food dish. Winter must be here.

Guilty as charged

I haven't actually been charged with anything I'll have you know but the good tub Freyja is waiting patiently for us to give her a good scrub. The green stuff is slowly growing in her and we haven't had the mind or the energy to go and sort her. I feel rather guilty I must say. Must sort it soon as would love to sail over The Festival of Conspicuous Over-Consumption.

On another watery note, I managed to flood the darkroom last night so I'm hoping not to have trench foot at the end of today .

Kosmo Foto

Have you heard of Kosmo Foto yet? I hadn't until recently as it was called Zorki foto but the Ruskies objected apparently. Now the site is marketing some B&W film under their own name - and being a bit of a film tart I'd thought I'd give a whirl.

Since the day dawned a tad whitish I armed myself with a lightmeter as well as the OM1n. See here if you want the reason. And since you ask, yes the snaps came out ok. I'd developed this film in the ubiquitous Rodinal 1:100 for an hour as I didn't have any proper times to go by. Works fine for me.

The kids must have had the day off school the other day - something to do with Thanksgiving - either that or my neighbours have not been to work and built a nice snow person to grace the lawn.

The darkroom - post minor flooding had been my hole for a couple of hours this day and I blundered out into the almost light of the snowing day to find the Crofter and his family running round after sheeps in the croft. I shot over and snapped them up.

It was like this

Nuptules

Mr & Mrs Hales. Post marriage ceremony.

A wonderful day for two lovely people.

Going back

Reminds me of a snap I took here before I moved here.
Hey ho, backwards we go

And another

Mags, Leefi's lovely partner

The Dr

Leefi [!]
Wish she would come to the island to work.
She's a Dr of healthiness
A proper sporti Dr.

Yoof

Katie, an artist.
She is a part time photographist too.

The sea

The sea is a tad wild at the moment. Movement of the air etc.

I have been in the darkroom.
I may show you stuff one day

I admit it

Yes, I'll admit that thye weather has been less than idea these last few days. Yesterday morning was nice - cool but dry but by the afternoon it was horrible.
I hid in the darkroom.

Ooof, what lovely peeps

Beware, they are still on the island and they will find you.
They smile a lot, run and surf. And have two dogs.