For some reason the sun has been shining. I managed a short game of bowls and two [albeit short]bike rides since we last spoke and I feel quite good for a change. I might even "push the boat" out and play a game of bowls next week on an adjacent isle where there is a cafe next door.
The tourists are around the island now, campervans and all. As it happens the main ferry to Lewis is less than perfect atm restricting it's carrying capacity. [saddish face đ].
Give me a moment while I search for my mojo which I seem to have lost down the back of the settee.
From a few weeks back in Edinburgh, my sisters are off down the waters of leith. I wasn't since I had no energy left. If recall correctly, a visit to a cafe was imminently in order.
I was toting a Olympus XA at the time with gifted Tri-x installed.
I think me looking at HCB pictures has me influenced somehow.
Had a fine surprise the other day when Steve Pulford contacted me saying he and his lovely wife wer eon the island and would Eve and I like to meet up for a cuppa. Didn't need to be asked twice so we can relive my days in and around the Velodrome at Manchester - where i worked for some years. Steve was one of those who flew around the boards at speed winning medals and all that. Lovely chap too. We met at the Ness Historical centre on the other side of the island only to find out that they stayed in a hotel just a few miles from home here !
I may not be up to much at the moment but I did have the recent pleasure of bumping into Donald 4 tractors on his croft as he prepared his second best tractor for a bit of light ploughing. Potatoes this year - and last as it happens. He likes potatoes especially shetland blacks which he is intending rom somewhere else I'm told.
Keith has to share this road with David amongst others. This is David Rowlston father of the crofter down the road. Lovely chap too.
The old Minolta 505si got an outing for this snap with Foma200@400. Eh!
As you might realise I have not been far from home of late. Perhaps my darkroom requires a visit.
Lovely.
Bicycles and everything . A pleasure to see instead of the camper vans that plague the islands. Having said that, the weather has been a tad breezy of later making cycling a one-way pleasure.
Recent incomer to the Village and nearby neighbour Sam on his other plot of land at tother end on the village planting some of the hundreds of trees going in. Helping was another villager Kate her of the 'emu' / chicken cage and community polycrubber.
By the time you read this I will have square eyes on account of watching the wonderful Paris - Roubaix cycle race on the pooter.
Edit; the races were just wonderful, exciting and if you have a chance go and watch them
Keith. following down the road in the morning. late morning or should I say midday? Ok, one pm as it happens. I'm retired and falling apart so I'm allowed to be lazy.
Keith is currently asleep beside in the summer parlour since he was out galivanting last night. Hungry is alspeed in his bedroom aka the box room.
Yes it's that 20mm lens again.
I've gone wider. 20mm to be precise. Used a lens that was given to me attached to an old canon slr of some sort. Does mean that if you use a faster film you don't have to focus for snaps such as these. Look, there are those horsey ones doing a bit of beach walking. I might get used to this.
Agin fomapan 100 @ 400 in Rodinal. Not too bad me thinks.
On another note, Dave was a wimp.
I don't know what I bother with the hassie or Bronnie when the little Perkeo does the track.
Have you noticed that my typing is a tad better than it has been. I knocked over a mug of green tea over the keyboard and despite drying it out a new one was required. Thanks to Tech Mobile I have another .
Nevertheless the sun did show it's face so i snuck in to our capital and took a few snaps with the Hassie. Unfortunately I thought it was 400asa film in it but alas no it was 100 so I pushed the development somewhat.surpringly the negs were not too bad and definitely printable if I could raise the energy.
This is I might add a snap of the fuel depot near the centre of the town. It's next door to a short-lived brewery bar.
When I mention that Keith goes to prison whilst we are off island, this is where he goes. A nicely ventilated place out on the eye peninsula. Hungry doesn't go on account of his reluctance to be caught.
Eve snapped me up on the last frame of the roll of film. I'm the one with the coat and bag. The other ones are sheeps.
This is how I looked this day. It's an island look trust me.
We like many places have had wonderful weather for a few days. Eve is out riding her bicycle in the sun as I write [and watch Milan-San remo race on pooter].
Such a lovely day when we took a light stroll down the road here. The birds were singing and everything. Keith was holed up at home for so he couldn't follow us down. He gets out whenever he wants usually but sometimes it is nice not to have him with us on a stroll.
Anyway, I had the Perkeo with me with the end of a roll of kentmere 200 inside so I took the opportunity to give you another angle of the village such as it is.
We will be going to Lucrecia's betrothal in the not too distant future - all being well. So looking forward to it. Her mother Ellen had the most wonderful birds nest head dress at her own wedding [I have seen the snaps] and I am sure Lucrecia won't let the side down.
This snap was taken days / years ago at Manchester Velodrome as Lucrecia's Ma and Pa were in the training as tandem pilots for the Athens Paralympics. They both both won medals with their respectively partially sighted stokers - Aileen and Ian.
Now, I am not one for telling on people but Eve had two pieces of cake on her birthday. One Coffee and walnut Made by Gill Price and one "Tom Hickman orange cake".
On one of my local strolls is this little place now seemingly abandoned but lovely all the same. Snapped up with the om2 and Hp5 @ 800. Nice eh?
I notice we are becoming more localised as the other day I popped by The Crofter with his birthday card, tickled the new dog Max then promptly drove into a ditch outside the croft. As it happens only one wheel was incapacitated and soon Mr and Mrs Crofter had pushed the thing back on the road with the car attached- which was just as well as we had an appointment at a cafe in our small capital to fulfil. Then a few moments later we were disastrously held up by a mini flock of sheep being walked from there [ pointing] to there [again pointing] by following a man with plastic bag which may or may have held sheeps food.]The urgency of our plight was acknowledged by said man with bag and sheeps were encouraged to one side of our single track road allowing out little red auto to pass. We made our appointment on time and cake was consumed.
As an island, the Isle of Lewis is surrounded by sea - apart from the bit that isn't. That's the Isle of Harris bit which in fact joined by an isthmus. Harris is also surrounded by the splashy stuff so there's plenty of the wet to photograph. Here it come close to the shore at Brevig so I snapped it. In this case from the car window as it was blowing a minor hoolee.
Here he is snuggled and everything at home.
Known the fella for some years now but we don't get in his lovely darkroom now as he [and I as it happens] are not so mobile and active as we were.
I'd forgotten about these dishes. In the Faroe islands decades ago I first saw a plethora of them. Now I see them again here. Are they still in use?
We did have a little one for local tinternet but that's long gone.
Now, please don't bother while I watch the Strade Bianchi cycle races.
We sat among the departed here in the sunshine. We have been here before and no doubt will go somewhere similar again.
After the wedding in whereeveritwas, we tootled off to a bigger place and settled into a nice hotel where my sisters, one older and the other younger met us after taking a flying carpet from the west country where they reside.
Ooof, lots of peeps there. Not at the hotel -which was a lovely Georgian building but lacked lifts on account of its architectural listing. The stairs were grand but staggeringly long and I was hoping to see a chair handily located halfway up. I did not.
We had a fine time catching up with the gossip and going from cafe to cafe via galleries until my energy was sapped [about 11 am] .
No idea where the snap was taken with the Olympus XA . I presume it was in the same place . It certainly looks like it.
As you may have realised by now, I like photographing weddings. Outdoor or indoor I don't mind - although I rather wish I had thought about location this time as not only was it indoors it was dark. Never the less, despite the shortcomings of not having a suitable camera with me [Olympus XA - no flash and Ilford Ortho film @ 80asa] I managed a veritable masterpiece as you can see.
To be honest I wasn't sure whether they were waving their hands in celebration or drowning in happiness. I took the snap all the same and I'm sure they will love it. I hope so since some of the others actually were in focus.
The occasion was lovely and what have you although my tinnitus was a tad hash at bedtime. There was a 3 week old babe there all the way from Knoydart [ he had not actually been there yet but Ma and Pa baby live there so he will] maybe he'll grow up to be a sound technician!
Our little house nestled as it were.
We like it.
You can even see me snapping it with the Reto UW&S and Foma 200 @ 400. the camera didn't know I was shooting at 400 so I developed it longer.
It's not always like this let me tell you. For example it's blowing a bit today and Baltic. The sea may have a few ripples on it and then sometimes the driver of the boat doesn't want to play.
And the there boatee on the left is apparently not even seaworthy and is impounded or something. On it's way to Africa for a spot of fishing it was.
Eve used to like sailing our little yatchette in these conditions because mainly we just bobbed around. But one did have to keep an eye open for the ferries as they tooted their horn at you if you got in their way.
We are off island soon for a few days. If weather doesn't upset the ferry driver. If that is likely we may take an earlier ferry.
Keith will be off to "prison" whilst our lovely neighbour Moira will feed Hungry.
Had a shingles jag the other day. It's a good thing and that but gosh didn't I stagger round as the jag took affect. [yes I did] Was like a weak 100 year old and felt the end was nearish. Luckily Eve kept me from face planting and generally making a fool of myself. Now rested at home I feel much better now you ask.
I rested yesterday - whilst wearing my new 'seeing' glasses, I like them. At this rate I'll be buying some new 'looking' glasses as well.
Yes, yes this is an old snap I posted. Colour as well. Please forgive me while I recover the monotones. It's a bike anyway. Not Eve i might add.
The bitter easterly wind we have been having recently has thankfully abated. Maybe Keith and Hungry will venture out more soon. I think Hungry may have forgotten what it's like out there.
Actually the sun is almost shining as I tap nonchalantly at the keyboard whilst hoping inspiration strikes.
All of of a sudden I feel really old and vulnerable. Oh well.
Yes it was bitterly cold with the east wind drawing all the warmth. As we could barely see because of the eye drops that were used we retreated to a nearby cafe to warm up so Eve could safely drive home {I am currently forbidden to drive because of my recent stroke.].
I took a snap with the reto UW&S /HP5 combo.
Feb already.
I had a Minolta A3 camera from the year of my birth loaded with Kentmere 400 and rated at 1600 which needed to be used up. I surprised myself by developing it in Rodinal 1:25 and had some nice images. Like this one from the crofter's [doon the roads] dental lab. I should use this camera more ooften only, it does weigh a great deal.
