W/e

My fav so far and destined for the darkroom !

Just back from a couple of days on North Uists and Berneray camping at the Berneray YH - for which many thanks. Here's a couple of snaps taken with the 1930s Ikonta 645 Rf on PAnf - from and of the campsite.

Rabs - again

Proper print and everything

Since a bod has left a nice comment about still suing proper cameras and film, here's a proper sepia toned print too!

Misty

Despite the rest of the Uk basking in the warm sunshine, Tolsta, the village where I reside, cowers under a local mist. I say local because if you pop down the road a mile or two its clear!
The great thing about this is that it doesn't get too hot and I can manage an hour in the darkroom. But not before i took a light stroll around the village and called for an idle chat wif the locals.

While MiLady was hereabouts, we took her on a small journey round the Isle to see - hopefully - what the place is really like. It was raining. And the mist was down. And cold. All the same we had a fine time and MiLady OBE loved the place.
Here are two snaps from Rodel and the Golden Road.

Mi Lady O.B.E

MiLady OBE on 'arris

Fresh from winning yet another gold medal at the World Cup Paralympic event in Manchester last week, MiLady Mcglynn popped up to the home-stead on the isle for a spot of relaxatery and what have you. As usual, twas lovely to see her again since Ms Mcglynn and I go back to when it all started sometime in 2001 at the Manchester Velodrome where I worked at the time.
If you don't know who MiLady is; she was on some BBC ALBA programme recently; she has won countless acheivement awards to complement her three Paralympic gold medals won with her tandem pilot Ellen Hunter in Athens and Bejing.
Makes me tired just thinking about it.
If you troll down the links on this blog you'll find Aileen's blog - which she faithfully swore she will update this weekend - when she gets back from the islae.

Waste

The garage desk

I like the Coop shop here on the island. It has all the things I require and lots I could be tempted with. I like the idea of a cooperative system and I like the Coops Fairtrade and eco stance. However, I cannot understand why they have fitted new open-fronted refrigeration units at the frot of the shop which are so inefficient they are cooling the whole area of the town let alone the shop. Goodness knows what their heating bill will be like inthe winter trying to offset the colling effect of the new units. We might even see a freezing over of the harbour at this rate!
Come on Coop, get you act together and stop wasting valuable enrgy.

The ol place

Arts, and how they is done

Big news this week on Lewis is that the annual island arts show is over. Loads of wonderful work graced the walls on An Lanntair for a few weeks so that the local arty types can be inspired and have their purses eased quantitatively - hopefully. As it happens I was pleasantly surprised to have sold two pieces - so I can now purchase some more film :-)


Many thanks An Lanntair for another fine show.

Meanwhile; some info from our political people :-)

However, the most significant event looming on the Lewis horizon is the imminent retirement of Master Vehicle Technician and raconteur Rab of Rigs Road. Here we see Mr McMurdo updating his Facebook page.

Tell it like it is

Many people think these islands are cold, windswept and covered with cloud. Let this be said, it is is pretty well always like in the snap above. Honest!

a lil bit o colour

After an afternoon shooting Toots Wilson, there seemed a need for a lil colour. And luckily, some slide film came back from being cooked - taken with the Perkeo. From the village looking over to Scotland :-)

toot toot

Look! we are not ready yet!!!!!!!!!

Paddling

... its the weather for it and we have the beaches too.

Boatman

Gerald has a lovely wee boatee in T'harbour in Stornoway. Its a replica Cornish something-or-other boat called Ammonite and looks really lovelee. Well, we, Eve & I, got an invite on board the other day and saw the compact nature of her.
Anyway, Gerald posed in the cabin door for me.

Moor

I'm just about to take off to the Moor to cut a bit of peat while the sun is shining and the breezes are light. Its a wonderful place up there - I love the peacefulness and the rolling landscape of mosses and heather over the peat. hese are couple of snaps I took yesterday with an old Pentax on Era100/Rodinal

Heyoop

Just had contact from an 'old' friend from Manchester days - its made my day and its sure to be a great day today. The sun is shining too so a good walk on the wild side is in order.
This one is for you Grunter.

Its raining again

...but I managed to squeeze a quick troll down to the beach in between showers. Can't resist some lovely lambs to snap with the old Voigtlander 6x9. and here they are....

Changing pairings

A lost Heron in Edinburgh

Old Tolsta road

Down Carloway way

Leith Water walk

From time to time, when I run out of my favourite film I try something new. I like to have some 400asa film around most of the the time to use in the AF Minolta so i tried some Fomapan 400. I lo0ved the Foma100 when i tried it with rodinal so thought I'd give this try but sloshed in PresyscolEF. The results I like.
Here's a couple or three from last week.

Edinburgh

Some cool dude, dude-ing in the street

Life is fast in the city

Some more snaps from the Minolta 505 and some apx400 from last weekend in Edinburgh. I just love the buildings in this city as they give the place a real air of civility or something. Was so pleased to be home back on the island on Monday though.

A visit

We had a fine two days in Edinburgh prior to me having to sit through a horrible working meeting. Still, Had a lovely time at various museums including this one - I forget which one it was - but it had a lovely stairway. Taken on the old Ikonta 645 [1936] with Adox25/Rodinal

Late evening work

Springtime lunch

2nd coming

Peats and all that I mean; its our second year at it.
The weather is fantastic again - the same as last year at this time and already we have been out on the peat bank to take off the turf ready for cutting. I notice that some people's banks are already cut and thrown. However, since we are both working and, we like to have some fun as well, our peats aren't quite sorted. But they will be.
Tis a fine place to spend a meditative hour or back-breaking two. Right between two lochens up behind the village. A nice stroll along the peat track to get there and a winding down stroll back.

Tolsta Man. A real man.

Waiting

Aonghas

Aonghas takes pictures with a lovely Lubitel camera. Lovely dreamy stuff that art students make. and I love it - and wif proper film too. He's learning up the photography lark at some posh Uni somewhere. In the meantime he's earning a crust serving fine soups and the like at the Anchorage cafe in Leverburgh on the Ilse of Harris. Fine fare at the cafe and great service from lovely people.

I still love my Zorki

Rubh' an Teampaill

We start the stroll

It was worth it!

Mr Wilson enjoys the balmy weather.

From time to time, I get a period when one camera gets precedence over the others. Mind you, the little Zorki 6 usually stays in my bag loaded with some 100asa B&W film. Until I get a feeling that another camera deserves an outing. I do sually return to my small Soviet friend that came originally from BosseB in Sweden. This last weekend I went out for a strollette down Northton way and Zorki was with me. here's a couple of images from this with FP4 in Rodinal 1:25.
The walk out to the old temple is lovely and well worth the effort.