Toots

There he is and everything, just awaiting that perfect moment for the perfect snap.

I just snap away with the less than excellent Kiev4.

Don't tell me I don't have "it" any more please

Ooooof !

There you are and everything. Just what you have been waiting for.

My leg is sore

Me leg is sore. Ever since I fell off thee bike [again] and gouged a lump out of the leg with the pedal. And that despite excellent NHS hospital treatment at Perth A&E and the local GP's nurses. I fell off nearly two weeks ago - forgetting how much less versatile I am as a bike rider after years off the bike.
We still managed a few more bike rides since and strolls round lovely galleries including those at the YSP.

late; sorry

Cricket

Cricket. Not for me really. Good for a doze - but the relative was playing for Yorkshire under 14s. They won.

Cricket;
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side thats been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

I like bad weather for a snap

There's lots of water in the Uists, not only as the Atlantic is round about but also with fresh water lochs. I mean, just look at the maps.
I took this portrait of a place from a causeway that runs between the various islands,. It was raining at the time.

Uists

From time to time I go down to the Uists for works. Usually I'm in a rush or it's dark. But the other day I was snugged up in a warm bed in the Lochboisdale Hotel thinking how nice it would be not to have to get up early and fast drive [as much as one can on those single track roads] to get the ferry home. So I called up CalMac and moved the booking till later. The weather was horrid but I still snapped the place up with the Bronica I had with me.

how lovely

How lovely it is to be back on the island with the soft rain coming down. And that's after getting to see some James Ravilious prints at the YSP the other day, and prints by Chris Killip and Trish Murtha at the Baltic and lots of others including HCB at the Side Gallery. EH? How good was that?

Away then back

Yes, yes we're back home. I had to have a quick jaunt down the islands to give an ankle bracelet to some miscreant or other but now I'm back too. We've been away you see, but, and I'll warn you now, I didn't take too many snaps for some reason.

We did ride our bikes I'll have you know but not without me having to attend the A&E in Perth after some less than artistic falling off in Kinross' Krirkgate park on a lovely flat trail. It had a corner though !! Flippin pedal thing I have on the old Kona MTB has spd on one side of the pedal and the old rat-trap on tother. It was that rat-trap side that scooped out a lump off me leg - through my cycling leggins. Quite sore I can tell you - it makes you so proud to have a great NHS here in the UK who happily nailed the skin back in place and wrapped it nicely.

The leg still worked though so when we got to Yorkshire - Eve's family place - via Newcastle, the Baltic and the Side - gallery - the bikes came out again for an airing on the Sustrans routes of the area. Just lovely.

Just Back

I'll be back to whatever is normal soon.

I'm off working

I said I had a blog to sort, some snaps to develop and the like but they didn't care.......

Oooh, it was hot then too

The light had got into this little plastic box and inscribed itself on the film therein. Surprising it didn't melt. That year, in Italy

Have you been down here?

Just throwing you a bum-steer

Grass [and everything]

Bonky

Yes, yes. Lovely, lovely Mother in law.

Graffiti

Can't resist a bit of street art. Spain I think though it matters not.
I think the camera is drawn to it. Mine is anyway

Draken Harald

She was there in Stormoway then. Now across the Atlantic.

You can follow her journey here. See her sailing here.

We maybe elsewhere

My dearest Eve and I may be elsewhere - on the mainland and all that. HHHCB in Catditz while we swan around seeing family and the like.

Archive eh?

We were on the Thames, Brad had just won another gold medal and was not a Sir.
What year?

Another

I have not lost my soul to colour

Touch

Sometimes I worry I have lost my touch. Although if I think about it too much I begin to wonder if I had the touch or the eye at all at any time.

Then I find this in the archive and feel something wonderful. I am easily pleased you know. It does sum up my life here superbly.

Oh, look at that

Glasgow, trust me. I can tell by the way she is walking - although there is no phone in her hand.

a few flowers

You may well have heard about the flowers that grow around the place up here. The machair is where it's really at at but elsewhere too - like this grassy bank on Harris

I tell you

Another lovely bike ride the other day with Eve. Quite something for me to be able to do 1.5 hours on lumpy but quiet road and tracks after years of inactivity due to less than wellness. We didn't cycle here in the snap but it was like that - nice and all that but no sun and there was wind. Not mine either just in case you are thinking that.

I am rather proud of myself as I seem to be thinking myself well -er. I am sure it will continue. I rested after the ride!

Friends

It's not only Toots and Mrs Toots I know. I know at least two more peeps.

Here they are, even lovelier in the flesh and, in the case of Mr Windy slightly more in focus too.

I know and you know by now I don't 'do' landscapes but I am rubbish at peoplescapes too. Took two and both are a fail. Still, I love the couple so that's alright then.

And before I forget here's two more from this household - and there's another dogie missing from this snap. Maybe I won't go in for family photography.

Looking for The Edge

I was allowed out to play the other day and chose to accompany his Tootship on his quest to find the edge. It's for a project that's been gestating for some years and now slowly is coming to fruition. After lugging his heavy studio tripod there and back again to a little island, we missed the cafe being open on the way back so Toots decided to make up for it by going down here to see this o-er on the west side of the island. It was warmish yet overcast and cloudy. I like it that way yet Toots was less than satisfied but did extract his camera from the car to shoot here - once he had inspected the place to ensure it really was the edge.

See, his Tootship all eager to get out with something to expose - as it were.

the other day

Poland has art too

A bit overrun with it in Krakov

A Broch

Was at this Broch in Carloway the other, taking a stroll as one does when the weather is warm - as it was. I've taken a binscape here before but thought I'd try another angle - and I like it.

Binscapes used to be a thing of mine. I've been practically cured now which is no bad thing.