what?

Yes yes. Another rubbish snap from doon the road over there just by Bac.

Spent the afternoon in hospital yesterday on a planned visit. Tickled my throat they did - but all ok apart from a sore one now. You know, I might even get round to developing some snaps from the few days away soon :-) Happy days.

Sheeps

There it is, the sheeps of Callanish. That's what they mainly look like over there - white and woolly. None of your black Hebridean sheeps there. These are incomers and have fair taken over the place. Eat out on Sundays too. Whatever next ?

Looks like the sheeps gaff is wired for Broadband too by the look of it. There's progress!

Just for those who are reading this and may be at all interested, yours truly won a little prize at the RSA open exhibition that's on at the moment in Edinburgh. I will endeavour to show you the snap that did the business - once I find a copy as the only proper copy is hanging in Edinburgh !

He's about somewhere

There his is; that's my photist pal Toots Wilson, sunning himself at the cafe window after a hard workout snapping up the Stones at Callanish as if he'd not seen them before. Rather nice snap of  him if you don't mind me saying so. He's always reluctant  to be photographed oop - often taking the Coelyne manoeuvre to new heights but i caught him unawares. Gosh, he almost looks normal here!

Tooked with the Old Pentax P30 and Foma 400

It's ok, I'm off island

Yes, not i'm there.
I can post this now.
Someone else made me do it.
Sorry and all that.
Some stones.

Back soon

As you know, I don't 'do' landscapes

I made an exception that I show you here while I'm off island and you cannot get to me.

You may know the view, you may have seen sunshine but with those clouds on that day? I saw it - or something vaguely like it. .

Bikist in Espagne

He was one of those fast ones. You know the sort - all sweaty and stringy legs with not an once of extra fat - or anything else for that matter. one about 200 that day as they continued there racey round Spain.
It was warm too.

The last of this little batchette of prints on Brovira.

Of course I did more. Who do you take me for?

Lovin it as it happens.

All lithed oop and everything. Sat here listening to contemporary jazz on t'radio, messaging me pal as I go - as he goes. 

Brovira. Yes. Nice eh?

It should be lithed

Of course this should have gone through the lith. But I was cold out there in the darkish damp room and I needed a cup of green tea and to toast my frozed tootsies on the Rayburn's door.

So it may get lithed oop another day. I say may as I am prone to change my mind [and lose the neg] about such things.

Better out than in

Fresh air is where it's at and there's plenty out there where coow stands. This is The Crofter's gaff and his coow.

Don't tell me you don't like them

Don't tell me that you can't abide these Brovira gems. Spent a while in a cold damp room making these I'll have you know and now I expect you to say you like them

Obviously, I didnt snap up this one o the island

Brovira

Ooh, I rather like Agfa Brovira for lith. Did this one the other day with Rollei Creative lith chems. There's something that lith prints have that I cannot quite put my finger on but makes them lovely.

There's a right covfefe kicking off up here at the moment regarding a small Sunday evening partial opening of the fabulous an Lanntair arts centre. An island blogger got off on one after some of the usual suspects starting pontificating about the issue. It's an old and on-going issue here with the Sabbitarians trying all they can to keep the place in the last century. Stirring up the issue like this does no-one any good in the end. I suspect the information is partial and possibly not entirely true but it's caused a right covfefe.

I am all for the right to believe what one wants, to go to church, mosque or gurdwara but I also believe in the right to go to the cinema or whatever. There, I have said it.

A tad chilly

Been a tad chilly here of late. The toon of Stormoway was festooned with the fluffy white stuff and the complaints about everything zoomed around the intersphere.

Life goes on though. A collab between myself and artist Katie Harris Macleod is go - or something. I think we'll be doing something fun. Fun fun fun. Possibly

off to somewhere

No I have no idea where too or who. It is Stormoway I can tell you that.

These snaps may not tickle your boat but they do mine I can tell you - and that's why I post them here.

Yup, we had it too

See that. Snow and everything.

This was then

Not now though. It's warmed up a bit here and there's just a little snow around.

Eve has warmed up now

Not lost; found

I read a little something in the online "papier" that pertains to our part of the world the other day. Not sure if it was up to date to be honest. Were always 50 years behind the rest of the world don't you know. Anyway, if I was understanding it right - and I have not got a good record on such things let me tell you - God has lost the young people of today. Well, here's the good news! I found them. Snapped them up and everything as they went down the road. Lots of them with grown-ups and all.  See, all is not lost.

We have found the young children.

Sleep soundly now.

I've got a feeling

This could have been a Friday. It looks like it could have been - all something or other. Walking. Purposefully and everything. That's Fridays for you

Dear Eve

She is just lovely.

I took her portrait the tother day with some paper instead of film, developed then peeled, shoved in the enlarger and printed.
Now, don't all rush to pinch my idea.

It didn't do any good. Eve fell over later, slipped on grassy stuff. Banged her back leg and ended up in A&E for the afternoon, skiving. She'd gone back to work then fell over again in her office as all the blood rushed out her bonce. She's better now.

Sorry about yesterday's post. Me marbles were rolling around all over the place.

I blame him !!!

'Ere, Mrs Fletcher see-e-owe that's the one I have been telling people about. It's all his fault and I have many people to back me up and everything. I HAVE THE WITNESSES!

POLICE, over there. Look, that's him and everything. He made me do it, honest. Blame him. Sundays as well probably not here but in Edinburgh. You have heard of Edinburgh haven't you? Good. Now, be a good police-person and go and clip his ear or whatever you do these days.

He made me send snaps to Edinburgh RSA - whatever that is. Others too. I HAVE THE EVIDENCE. See, I snapped him oop on proper film. He has been in my camera looking around.

I can lead you to Alex of Boyd

Oh don't some all saintly with me your policpersonship. I know where his lair is and all.

We were down this way

We were down this way the other day. Tis the Isle of Harris for those who don't know. The same island as Lewis as it happens just this is the Harris bit. Well, the north Harris bit anyway, just north of the isthmus at Tarbert where we'd been to try and celebrate our something or other with a lovely bowl of soup at the distillery cafe there. Only it was shut. Again. We made do with a cuppa in a pub there instead and enjoyed the trip out and back

As if

No it's not our gaff. It's over on the west side awaiting loving fingers to bring it back to life. It's heart was torn out when the last occupant left and sits now with the wind and rain making inroads through the roof.

The pole holds some potential for communications. Perhaps even high-fibre communications if someone wanted to enjoy that.

Over here

I'm posting this now as I know I have some excellent snaps drying out in the darkish cold room at the moment after une petite flanerie in Stormoway earlier today. I mean, I took the Kodak box camera I bought for £1 in a charity shoppe some years ago so they are bound to be good snaps.

Sometimes I like to think I'm on to something.

Then I come back to my senses.

Take this for example. I took this snap a while bac with a Soviet Kiev 4 a camera. It almost works too - if you don't let the sun - which does occasionally show it'self round these parts at this time of year - get in the lens. Then, if you mess up the development with whatever dodgy film you had in the camera at the time then stumble onto the neg after the cat climbs off the settee / filing chair - you might feel you have an image that works.
Might .

It was something like that for this neg only with the added spice of a recent visitation here by the Toots' not long after I'd rushed around the gaff moving the dust around a bit and dimming the lights. They brought jam doughnuts too. How lovely was that? Very.

Not sure Mrs Toots would like this on the wall mind you. Toots 'imself might appreciate it a bit more on account you couldn't tell it was really him unless I told you - and I'm not going to do that am I?

Now, on reflection I'm not sure it's the masterpeicece I first thought it might be. Maybe Mr Winogrand had something when he suggested negs should lay around a bit before you look at them.

catch up

Of course one has to catch with the week's events.

Just to prove it happened

I was using an Soviet camera [Zenit 11] with a Soviet lens [Helios] and Foma film from the Czech Rep [Foma200] to take this snap.

He, Toots that is - if you don't recognise that derriere - was using a 5x7 Burke and James, old Bergger 400 film and my dark cloth - bought last millennia in North Wales at a fabric shoppe.

I've been suffering every day since helping to carry that camera and STUDIO tripod - yes, really a STUDIO tripod - from his gaff, o'er the road across the machair and the sheeps - who were wondering what we were doing [as I was] before setting it up on the beach for a spot of trying to expose a sheet of film properly.

I've yet to see a developed sheets !

This wasn't that day

It probably wasn't a Friday.
We'd been for a strollette - I say we, I think it was with Mrs Hudson of Bac I was moving around with. Hot chocolate had been consumed and we were giddy with excitement and at the reluctantly walking dog that came with us from the Hudson household. I think it's name is ,,,, no, it's gone sorry. Twas a nice stroll all the same.

How does it look on the island on a Friday?

I was thinking it looked like this the other day then, someone told me it was Wednesday. So now I'm not sure what it looks like on  Friday. I shall attempt a little imaging today and possibly - all things being well - show you what it was like at a later date

Almost in focus and all

It was cold let me tell you. There was snow in the air out there at sea. The dogs weren't that keen on the water that cold - liquid ice almost.

Still, you'll be pleased to hear that I braved the weather and managed to take a few dodgy snaps - and this is one of they - with the Kiev60 beast.

The swimmers here on New Years day?  Eve, Jo and Ian plus a few surfers in wet suits.

Him there

There you are; that's the chap I was telling you about.
What d'you mean I haven't mentioned him? Perhaps I was going to and got in front of myself. It is the New year and everything.

This is Phil. Phil the chair I think. Aptly named as he runs a high street furniture store in - somewhere on the west side of the island in that edge of nowhere's "high street". Tis a fine place with lots of [new] chairs and settees for sale as it happens. Open on Saturday only you know - that's when it's busy over there apparently.

We didn't need a chair - although we did almost buy a bargain settee in delightful teal but we thought we ought to save up for a wall to wall floor first. The lovely thing is Phil is a most delightful man and a visit it there is worth it for a meeting and for that alone.

Just so you know where it is, you look out on this view when stood at the door. 

So far so good

All seems good so far. Sisters on the Tolsta big beach just after The Swim.

I did have an alternative snap to show but, I ca't be certain it isn't salacious, so I changed it.

2018

Here it is then. Feels much the same as most years really - just with more aches and pains. I shall continue the blog with my usual mediocre offerings and hope you will visit from time to time