Did I tell you I went to a wedding?

The outside photograph. Maybe its the brides mother or maybe not. Who knows? Perhaps I should have been looking before I snook the shutter down.

It's that man again. And his son - nearly anyway! I wish his son would grow taller than he might be in my snap!

Oh deary deary me. Time for bed

The bride is behind that lot somewhere. I am not "A" list you see so I get the back row!

Ms ....

I think I told you I went to a wedding. I did and all. Someone in the extended family on my partner's side . The side where it all mansion houses, cars that work without clouds of smoke and everything.

What a day. I mean it was nice and all - except that my film in the Zorki camera got stuck and broke so only had a few snaps to annoy everyone. Still, there was a man in a kiss-me-quick hat bestooned wif digital cameras and lens' so long you could have poked the bridegroom in the eye with them. So that was alright then.

Now, have I got the snap with the grooms father and mother in....? No.

It's that man again

... finishing his paddle about in the sea the other week. Lots of people out to see why he did it. For those that don't know the place, Mr Pharmacy Husband man is seen here swimming into t'harbour just near his housey. I must say, I rather like this snap.

Wet

"Has anyone any moisturiser please?"

"oh look, something's moving out of Brevig harbour"

The crowd look, look, everywhere but at the Great Swimmer - except one!

Just the latest in Swimwear - soon to be available at Bac Pharmacy alongside horselicks and asprin. Order yours now!

"Look, I have proof. If you don't finish soon, you'll be washing up for a month!"

The apparition in Broadbay

The ferry got me back, back from a penance in London and elsewhere. A wedding. You know the sort of thing; posh frocks, champagne, mansion house and idle chat. They were happy them who were married. Who ever they were. Eve knows them; related to them in fact. Oh, that means I'm related to them. You might even get to see them soon since I took a snap or two.

Was raining when we stepped ashore, raining at Carloway show that enjoyed our company and raining as I write this. And the peats are still out on t'moor.

The post had been while we were away. I got cards and all that since I am now a year older and all that. Today :-)

There was also some snaps I took of Paul, Sporty Paul from Bac pharmacy. He swam the bay you know. Took hours - and I waited two of those for him to arrive. And arrive he did in style with Mrs Bac Pharmacy threatening him from a boat that went out to meet him. A piper did what pipers do and loads of people where there to welcome him in. He was wet. And cold. But still, there was a man who smiled - and was vaguely familiar - who shook his hand. I think that's why Paul did the swim - or I might have dreamed that!!

Paul was brill - and raised loads of money for charity. Well done Sir.

The Minch next?

Roy

Roy and Zig are off on their hols soon and we will miss him. Met them on the beach this morning in between rain showers.

Having fun on the cheap

The road winds down through the Glen driving back home from work and I'm feeling the need to fire the shutter. Here we go.......... done .... ah, that feels a lot better.

Wy aye cannee lad

.. or something equally unfair to our incomers from NewcAstle . I'm referring to Mr Paul Pharmacy husband man of Bac who, I'm just about to BIG UP on account of his forthcoming swimming of Broadbay [sans fish-farm] from Point to Bac. Eh? For charity. Bethesda I think.

Now, get down to the Bac Pharmacy today, Saturday or Monday and sign up to sponsor him. Paul will be swimming Tuesday if; and here's the rub, if the water is right - tides or something like that!

New camera

The TDF did not pass this way.

Did I tell you I have a new camera? Its brill too. Costs me £2.50 including postage - and that's what I call a bargain. It takes both normal 35mm snaps and panoramics eh? I have no idea what sort it is but it is plastic, was cheap and does work. What more do you want?

Street

We have a street in the Isle of Lewis and its called Francis Street. The mass dance took place there the other day and here's two more snaps from that! Esme and Zoe enjoying themselves in the melee .

Willow and all that.

The Star performer [on the right].

Out in t'darkroom making a right old mess. A mouldy, meandering mess of gross proportions. People in images disappearing before the eyes, whites become greys and blacks very nearly very black. It's the willow I tell you. Tis taking over the place. One moment we are stripping the brown sticky stuff in dance then we are looking at Woman in Willow built by the Somerset based Serena de la Hay. Eh? It's Stornoway for goodness sakes, not the Levels !!!!!!

dancing in the streets

The festival is on at the moment. All big tents and rain. But there's some great music here - not least in An Lanntair and, more importantly, outside inthe streets. I emerged blinking into Francis Street from an afternoon concert straight into the this mass 'stripping of the willow' to a live ceilidh band. What a brilliant atmosphere there was. Within moments all were dancing, tapping their feet and smiling. Would be lovely to have this every day at Festival time so that by the time Saturday came around everyone had got into the swing of it and the line could be right across Stornoway. Brilliant!

Getting the peats in

While most have broughtthe peats in already, there's a few, including me who have not. And looking at the present weather, it may be a few more weeks before mine are in! Mr Crofter is still cutting his.

Anyway, on my way out to the peats to bag up the small amount I have cut, I came across a couple of Tolsta villagers bringing some peats in.

Snap taking on polypan-f developed in Bromophen, print on Kentmere Select in Bromophen

TDF

The Tour De France is on at the moment. No doubt, the hardest sporting event of them all. And there is a British managed team in this year - although i will not mention their sponsor. And 9 British riders in various teams in total. Brilliant.

Since we have no TV I have to keep up on the pooter - live streaming and all that.

Stage 9 was just brilliant! As you can see.

There's a really nice blog on painting the tour here too. Well worth a moment or two

en fete

Produce and people

The sun shone, not quite your 30 degree of England but enough. Enough so one didn't need a coat and a visit to a 'show' might be rather pleasant. Off we jolly well went up to Point - a place we can see from home over the bay but generally venture. Paid our entrance fee and took off to see the exhibits. Sheep and Coows were being judged as were the clootie dumplings and harris tweed pies. Then the show was opened by some hack who lives locally. After he had been through the first three pages of the speech, we gave up and went to see the produce. As you do. We missed the Highland dancing and the Lewis pipe band - but never mind, we'll see that at the Tong Show.

For the photo geeks among you, I used and old Kiev -Soviet rangefinder camera loaded it transpired with Kodak Fine Grained Positive film. A film coated with a paper emulsion with a speed of about 5 asa . I developed it in print developer for 4 mins and got lovely results despite the fact I exposed it at 100asa!

Colour from the UW&S

Big goldfish things

Yep, someone put a bell 'there'!

I just sat and was.

So, here I am eating too many things I shouldn't, monitoring the TDF and Cav's exploits - not forgetting those of Cummings, Wigan, Thomas et al - whilst I wait for the chest congestion to clear up. I am getting cabin fever. However, I did manage a little trip to pick up some colour negs from the old Ultra-wide-&-slim this morning. Nice.

Went through to the Village shop in North Tolsta too. Looks lovely what with its new coat of paint, new shelf things, lovely staff and things. Give it a try!

I took a stroll...

Last winters peat stack dwindling

A view in the village

The kids are out of school. One left their transport outside my neighbours for later collection

... down t'road to the village shop - buy the Guardian, peruse Peat Weavers weekly and all that - then a quick walk to the cemetery to pay my respects to a recently departed neighbour whom I had a great regard for.

Twas lovely to get out and it made my chest feel a little better. I took a little plastic panoramic camera. A wonder from China or somewhere.

Oh dear

Ullapool. Yes, it's really like that!

Apologies for the complete lack of input into this 'ere thing recently but I am a bit indisposed with another cold/sore throat/chest infection thing. I blame it on Inverness where Eve and I spent an enjoyable couple of days last week. Ever since then I have been under the weather.

As a result I getting up late, mooching around home feeling sorry for myself and only venturing into the darkroom to check its still there. It is. The peats remain on the moor.

Luckily, work has not been too busy this week so my lack of rude health has not caused any issues in that department.

Meanwhile, the wind has abated a little this morning and there is a little brightness in the air. Must be summer!

Shim sham

Taking the air on the old ferry deck, diesel fumes wafting across my face and the view splashing before me, I noticed a man, a solitary man sat, sitting on a seat. I contemplated his being and the way his hair flipped and flapped under his hand as the wind came in. Then he went inside.

See, look..

Bosta and a lump of rock or two.

Toots baking in the sun by the recreation of the old house

Nice eh? Eve and Toots looking at the bell.

We wuz there. At Bosta, sun and everything. Well, once the rain had stopped anyway.

This is a fav beach of mine. Best in winter when its empty but not exactly busy on a nice day. Toots had not seen the new bell thing so there we were clambering over the rocks as the tide was out getting as close as we could to the very quiet bell without getting wet.

I am going through my anti-complicated photography spell so took out the old Kodak Retinette 1a loaded with Hp5. What a lovely little camera this is.

A day at the seaside [as usual]

We took off in the jalopy picking up Toots on the way. He opened the door and I shot him three times. Luckily it didn't do him much harm so he came along with us from his beach to another beach.

Hectors peats

Hector and the 2010 stack

Hectors new peat stack is a mighty fine creation. High and long and a wonderfully neat shape, I believe it to be the best in North/New Tolsta this year. At least it is at the moment since its one of the first built in 2010. No doubt there will be others to come and we shall see if they are as straight, high and noble as this one. Brilliant work Ishbell and Hector.

meanwhile

Mr Windy - looking distraught at his misfortune.

Mr Windy is indisposed. His leg has stopped bending properly or something. Happened just as he was about to sign up for a 65 mile bike ride. Huh!

Plenty of time to develop his snaps now - so not all is lost!

He's in Amsterdam

Inauguration of the Bosta Bell

"What's my motivation here Robert?"

Now Robert the American film-maker is back in Amsterdam at S.W.O.M.P. I have here another snap from his visitation to William's out at Cromor. Here we can see the great orator gazing into the moor, working on his motivation for the scene .

We were happy to be present at the inauguration if the Bosta Bell where Marcus Vergette paddled out to his creation to give it a final pat. Great turnout by the locals who had a barbi on the beach on a lovely sunny day. One local did ask "What exactly is it for" which left me struggling for an answer. Its nice though

Hot hot hot

.. and on Jura. Yes, a Scottish island and its too hot outside! Here's Eve with her hastily constructed sunhat since we had only packed the woolly hats. Oops!

The film-maker

Robert the film-maker in Cromor - giving Bill his 'motivation' !

The Great Man - and Robert

Robert Stuart has now left the village. On his way home via The Uists and Barra then Oban, Glasgow, Amsterdam, New York, then on to Nicaragua later. We wish him well for his travels. He had a great time here and as soon as I get the link to any resulting films I shall post them here. No doubt Hector will be waiting to see it too.

Moving and the like

You may have noticed if you reside up this way, a tall American wandering hither and thither with a big pack on his back pointing a camera at various personages. His name is Robert Stuart from New York. Just back from Amsterdam via Paris and travelling on to Nicaragua Robert is sampling the life of an incomer Crofter - see over at Island Crofters. Since Mr Stuart is rather mesmerised by the Big Isle of Rust he also pointed his movie camera at Hector and Ishbell and other important people on the island.

I took the opportunity to turn an old camera on him too - using my 1x18cm Soviet view camera that is held together with elastic bands and gaffer tape and came up with this - my own little portrait of him - drinking his coffee.

BHF walk

I was there. I didn't walk but I did stand and do 'stuff' in a uniform. Lovely weather, lots of people walking and a good cause too. Angela called me on the radio I'm told. I wondered why it was making a right racket!

Jura Church

Sport

Of course, sport is rather taking the upper hand at the moment it seems with most of the world hanging on every moment watching if Wales' Geraint Thomas will hang on to the points jersey in this years Critérium du Dauphiné in France. No doubt the Tv company who sponsors the team he rides for will be ignoring the South African sports event that is going on to follow Mr Thomas' exploits. And so they should.

Meanwhile, I have been taking snaps through a welding mask glass. As you do. Well, as I do.

Pap - view 2

Look at that

...and we did for a week. Out of the wide window door things, once bleary eyes had been prised open, the curtains drawn back we were dazzled by this view. This in fact was one of the cloudiest days hence I snapped it. Those lumps in the background are Paps.

If it had been Alexey not Eric..........

Had Barnhill been occupied by Titarenko not Blair. Had it been a photograph and not a book and had it been 2010 and not 1948, this might, just might have been a half-decent attempt at a homage to the great man.

As it happens its a nice snap of persons unknown going onto the ferry to the mainland and a lovely sunny day. So sunny was it that I sat for a long while in the hot sun with my dear Eve and Mr Toots Wilson and watched the world go by. Slowly. It was a tremendous few hours. However, the downside was I got covered in some sort of beetle creatures. In my hair, down my top and even it transpired, in my knickers!!! Was a tad uncomfortable for a few moments till I had extracted the wee fellows.

To get there we went through here

Keeping the Jura Lairds at bay.

[and who can blame them since one is the father-in-law of the P.M.]

Ughhh. [see above and everything]

There is quite a nice pub here. Well, just to the left of here as it happens; down the steps that Eve fell up [before she entered the pub too].

Boiden Cottage

From Boiden Cottage there's a road, the only road as it happens and this is it. Tis a fine road with proper grass up the middle and lovely bumps that slows cars down but which had Toots tearing his hair out. An evening stroll down here to the next little group of houses and a Pap or two in the background was a fine way to spend an evening hour.