TYA prepares to take a snap

The dodgy Soviet camera, up-rated German film, PQ developer and a young artist

I went out to play yesterday and The Young Artist formerly known as Katie came too. We went out to the moor in the sunshine wondering what the women who lived in the sheilings in the summer got up to. TYA had a lovely little Olympus Trip 35 to play with which I covet very much. I had a Kiev 4a with a slow working shutter. and film I'd uprated from asa 100 to 200. Later the film was developed by me in PQ print developer - quickly. This was one of my snaps of TYA on the moor while she was considering whether to make a huge enormous arty something or other I didn't really understand out there. She didn't.

oh, why not?

Tempted to go here again on this boat. Had such a nice time too.

Sheeps on a hill

The Crofter's sheeps on the hill at the back on the nearest beach from here as it happens. In the low sun. Eating, mainly.

Someone forced me to take it

the next day

I managed the talk in an Lanntair and enjoyed the others immensely - even if I didn't give a good one myself. Ah well..

sheeps

Did I tell you?

I'm giving a little talkette in an Lanntair on this Thursday.
Entitled The Crofter's Covfefe it's a phycho-social longitudinal ethnographic photo study of an English crofter in North Tolsta here on the Isle of Lewis. Basically, I tootled down the road and snapped up my pal Paul.

Starting at 7pm there are some excellent talks by proper artists too Gill Thompson, Pearse O'Halloran and Margaret Ferguson.

The Crofter's long necked duck things show what they think of me

A cat

Him again

A monochrome world is just lovely

It is sometimes anyway

It's not like this now

I'd had a nice stroll with the Tootsmeister in the snowy stuff and I took a snap with the OM1n and Orwo film. So, if I go to all that trouble plus developing in and the like then I'm going to post it.

The sun has been shining as I write.

Mr Toots tunes his 5x7 squeeze box

"It's the process"

that day

Oh dear

So pleased my dear Eve is back home again after her visitation to mother. Eve got stuck in Glasgow airport again on the way home. This time it was a combination of the weather and the wing falling off or something. Long hours of waiting did nothing for her mood - then she couldn't sleep well at the hotel the airline had EVENTUALLY arranged.

It's always lovely to have Eve home again. Makes my life complete. But there was an additional reason this time - something smelt like it had died in the fridge but my nose wouldn't let me get close enough to find out what is was. Eve's is inured to such things and soon found the runny Camembert in the back. Now the fridge smells not at all and i can even open it's door :-)

Portrait of a local place

I have not been down there so often recently despite it only being a few hundred metres away. So I thought I'd have a look again and see The Crofter's sheeps.

The sheeps were there but I shan't show you. They are shy.

Sheeps on the road

I was out accompanying the Alex of Boyd on a little cafe stop afternoon. We'd been to The Stones where Mr Boyd lay down on the wet muddy grass for some reason. We'd had coffee at the cafe and then came across the pentland road where we met these gurls. Oh how lovely they were, being walked back to where they should be - out on the moor.

I must say the light was lovely out there  so the OM1n loaded with Orwo400 film coped quite well.

Bin and done it again

Thought I'd present my take on modern art. The Museum of Modern Art binscape, Edinburgh.
Looks prewtty eh?

Resting

Wee boat

That#s our wee boat awaiting a sail in the marina at Stormoway. Took the snap with the baby Graflex with tilt. Do I like it? OI'm unsure.

Still, it's go to be done.

Charabanc

The buses in Edinburgh/Leith are excellent I must say. Especially since we get to ride on them for free - the only thing good about being older. We went here and there on the buses, said thankyou and everything. Was great fun I must say.

The darkroom went better yesterday too.

Harbour

Oh love a duck. This was the harbour the other morning after the tide went out. A layer of ice-ish stuff laid upon the seaweed below creating this magic effect.
It's gone now.

At the time of writing this I have just had a most unsuccessful time in the darkroom with nothing much to show for the effect and cold with it. There is a funny falling ice stuff coming from the sky and the darkishroom is less than excellently heated or insulated. It is times like this I do wonder why I bother!

That City

There it is; that city doon soof in Scootland. Nice castle and all.

Just one in a while you get a snap you like - and this is IT.

oh I say

 Oh I say, a doggie, a personage and sunshine with peeps looking all interesting. Grain too - a result of over developing I shouldn't wonder. I love the lot of it.

My oeuvre - whatever that is - is almost complete. Possibly.

You don't think I'm going to waste my snaps do you?

I had planned on Lithing this up as I write, i have not got round to it. My intentions were honest mind you but the realising of those intentions less so.

Urban inanity

It's not always sunny in Scotland - despite what you might have read. See here, the rain was falling from the sky bit, umbees were up, faces drawn as if Lowry got there first. It was dark, dark like it can be up here on the islands when the clouds roll in.

Influenced

Have been influenced evero slightly from our recent trip and, as you may well see have adopted a completely new style. When I say completely, I do still use a camera and film. I still snap up but it is with renewed and invigorated intention. I am, as you might already have realised, trying to express my inner feminine self through the filter of memory and experience of memory. If only I could remember, but you get the idea I am sure.

This is one of the Urbanity in Scotland set. As was yesterdays snap - although I didn't know that then.

Edinburgh

Leith, near Edinburgh is where we stayed and right nice it is too. They have crossing places where, if you push a little button properly, the traffic lights change colour and sometimes you see a green man light up. You can cross then. I did, since I seem to have a proper knack of pushing the buttons - at least for the first day anyway. No sheeps though. Funny that. All them people with money to waste and not one of them I could see had a sheeps.

Yes, I took some snaps while I was there. This is one of them. Even looks like Edinburgh though I doubt it was in Princes Street - that's a main street there - you can see a castle from there and everything. 

Took tea at the Portrait Gallery while we were there, lunch at the Museum of Modern Art. Saw some mighty fine arty things too. I so love the Portrait gallery and the expo When we were young was well worth a visit as is the BP portrait prize thing, and I might add, the Modern Portrait. The cafe at the modern Art place is exceptional - salads to die for. and plenty of interesting arty things to contemplate too.

Ooh, and we saw the Turner January exhibition at the National.