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The North Tolsta Formation

What a day! Not one reply to my two posts. I must be boring you.

The sun shone again today and I did things - with the pooter in the morning which got progressively frustrating as it went on. The scanner I have for looking at film negs had been playing up. After a while I gave up, went to town and annoyed the local MP instead. He didn't seem to mind I must say. Then I annoyed this mortgage broker fella. He was very nice too. He works in town if you need one - I can recommend him too. For his niceness anyway since I don't know much about what he does.

Then I came home. There is no snow I might add. As I said the sun is shining and everything. Well, not now, its dark now but it was shining.

Eve came home and we meditated together, My head nodding from time to time in time to the waves of tiredness that came over me all of a sudden. Then I had a look at the scanner again. Took it into The Warming Room and everything you know. Then I cleaned it, took it back here into the Summer Parlour and plugged it back in. And it works. Brilliant. Must have been the meditation.

A reading for today

Good day

What a lovely day it's been. Sunshine and almost some warmth too. The weather tempted me out for a stroll along this road above the beaches. It was so lovely I climbed the hill behind, sat down on the rock and meditated with the sun on my face. Below the sea crashed onto the long beach.

Later, my artist friend called in after a swim - in the sea here - with dolphins and everything. Once I'd plied him with builder's tea and sat him by the Rayburn, he came round a bit! Since he was captive I told him about the new neighbour whose uncle is pictured in Gus Wylie's book, The Hebrideans - a fine tome if ever there was one.

Wells [not "next the sea"]

Mater and Me at Mater's

I was there, strolling around with Mater and later sister. Wells in Somerset that is, drinking in the vibes and whatever as you do in such a place. The market was finishing, twas getting dull and a cafe still had not been visited. I remember a time when I came to a Bath Music Festival concert in Wells Cathedral of music by Messiean and he was there. Must have been a few years ago since he passed away in 1992. The concert was excellent tho. I mean really excellent. It was a time when I had a classical musician as a friend and she introduced me to such things. Stravinsky's Soldiers tale springs to mind. Gosh I was so high-brow those days. I suppose that comes from being born in Bath you know. In the better end. The Bath Festival then used to have a Jazz arm as well so I got to see/hear Egberto Gismonti and the Kronos Quartet among others. How good was that?

To Wells; I was inspired enough to find a post of sorts, place my camera and shoot some Titatrenko inspired shots. Mater would hate that picture so I have included a snap of myself and Mum in her lounge with lots of her art around the place. I look like I have been airbrushed into a grotesque - but I always look like that :-)

Ok, were back in business

Been in the darkroom, circumventing the film-scanner and producing a real print. Twas lovely being back in there breathing in the fumes, stumbling around in the dimly lit room [especially since the fluorescent tube of the white light fell out and was too damaged to use again].

Seems like this snap on the film was taken a few weeks ago - all that snow and everything. I shouldn't look at it too much as you won't sleep tonight. I will, I'm immune to such images plus I've been meditating for almost an hour on the floor of the summer parlour. I'm so chilled I've already rested my eyelids for half an hour until my right side got a tad over-warm from laying too close to the recently lit stove.

The print is on some lovely old kodak polyprint paper. Tones wonderfully in sepia too. And before you ask, that's a cable running across the top left corner. And yes, the horizon is tilting to the left. Must have been windy that day :-)

Apologies

A Man called John

Apologies for the lack of many new images in mf. I have some nice images taken with the KOWA6 but the scanner I have seems to have seen it's last MF scan. Well, it scans but leaves lines along the length of the neg - and no its not on the neg since it happened on Mr Windy's B&W negs too - and they were from his HOLGA - and you know how good they are!

I will just have to get into the darkroom and print some images and then scan those :-)

In the meantime, here's a 35mm neg scan from the Petri7s.

Boats

There's boats everywhere it seems. Can't get away from them. Took a light stroll out along the River Parrott near Burnham-on-Sea recently and came across these. The river is muddy to say the least. My boots were not much better. This stretch of the river is tidal too so when the sea goes out the boats in the water settle on the mud.

No, No!!!!

Mater

I can't believe it. We live on an island - albeit a coldish one, ravaged at times by wind and rain and, here's the important point, surrounded by sea. The harbour still has fishing boats in it - although most of them fish for shrimps I'm told by good authority. The island, for those who you who don't live out this way is located off the Scottish mainland, somewhere out west. Scotland is still noted for its fish. Ok, stocks are low and yes the seas have been over-fished. But is there any reason to import fish - supposedly fresh fish - all the way from Indonesia????????

I was looking in a shop that sells such marine foodstuffs and noticed it today. I reeled back stunned. Next to the fish from Indonesia was Scottish fish - no doubt much fresher. Now, the Indonesians are fine people, the country is lovely but all those food miles!!!! It's like bringing coals to Newcastle [or perhaps these days, coals to Poland]. I don't begrudge the Indonesians income or exports but not all this way! It is globalisation gone mad! I bought the Scottish fish.

Now, Mater wouldn't countenance buying fish from Indonesia, even if she knew where it was. Mater does have standards you know and flying fish all that way would not be one of them. How right she is.

The Man called John

The man called John

Walking onto Highbridge railway station at midday I espied the seat. It seemed to be the only seat on this little un-manned place and it was occupied.

'Good day' I ventured to the man on sitting down, resting the backpack I was carrying.

The man leapt up and stood facing me eyeing me suspiciously. We spoke a little more and he revealed to me he thought I might be a lunatic or something equally worrying ! After a while John - for that was his name - told me he came from the same village nearby where my elder sister lives. He knew her house and where did the name of the house come from? I didn't know but promised I would ask her to call him to let him know. A train passed through. "Gosh, that's really interesting" the man called John exclaimed. "Why is it interesting" I asked. "It's the nuclear flask train going to Sellafield from Hinkly Point power station and usually there's only one flask and today there was two". "Ah" I thought, this man is interested in just about everything.

We talked some more, the train I was catching arrived and I left him sitting on the seat his bicycle awaiting his attention by his side and I felt revived by his demeanour.

Three for tea

Two

The voice of reason

No, this one!!!!

Petri7s Fomapan400@800 Rodinal

Boat 2.

I'm back home :-)

Ok, it's another boat. And it's in Briftol - again. I can't come up with something new every day can?

Anyway, tis The Waverley paddle boat [or maybe its the Balmoral - thanks Ed !!!], the last something or other and now paddles here and there around the UK - except for now it's in Briftol. Looks lovely I must say. you can read more about it here and here.

Boat 1.

I've been away, visiting Mater in Somerset and having my thoughts re-programmed by a rather nice man in, of all places, Newport - that's Newport in Welsh Wales. It rained there. To be quite honest, I think it has always rained when I have been in Newport - which, in my previous English life was quite a few times teaching people how to teach people how to ride bicycles round and round on a wooden track. I'd been sent from Manchester you know. Cheltenham was in my varied itinerary too, staying with my little sister [and her husband and two grown-up kids]. The sun was shining off the lovely honey-coloured stone built houses as I met a pal I used to work with 35 years ago. 35 years??? Yes, that is right, sadly. He hasn't changed - they never do.

I took the train back to Mater's - a rare treat apart from the fare. And the train. It seems that I could get a much lower fare if I was to break the journey up into two sections - to Briftol and then on to Highbridge. So I did. Mad isn't it?

Bristol was my home for a few years a hundred years ago so I took the opportunity to stroll from the Brunel designed railway station across to the docks and eventually to the Arnolfini [as one must do ] before returning to the trains. Passing by the dockside my eye caught sight of the Thekla - a venue where I have enjoyed many happy evenings - some years ago. Viv Stanshall - previously of the Bonzo's used to own the thing before he set fire to his flat somehow and passed on to another way of being. I had a camera with me. I had two actually. I chose one, raised the Petri7s to my eye, composed and shot. Here is the shot.

As an aside, a pal of mine is involved in trying to re-stage Viv's Stinkfoot sometime soon.

Petri7s. Fomapan400@800 Rodinal 1:100

Don't panic!

...Or perhaps celebrate. I have not gone away but been away in England visiting Mater in Somerset via our little planes off the island and easyFlot. It is so nice to be back on the island and as soon as I get in the darkroom, you'll be the first to see what I have.

Gone!

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t even see it there” said the accused. Stefan blocked the door with a menacing smile firmly entrenched on his face. Mr Windy was going nowhere. “I wasn’t even in the room. Ask Cailean, he saw me in the parlour” a flabbergasted Mr Windy pleaded.

Beth smiled secretly under her hat, the very hat worn by Deanne when the discovery was made. “Cailean is hardly going to be able to help you Dad, he’s not old enough to talk yet.”

Mr Windy spun round “Well, you’ll just have to wait until he can then he’ll tell you. For goodness sakes Stefan, let me out”. There was a slight scuffle in the gloom but Stefan did not move a muscle, his smile not even twitching.

“Give me the hat Beth” Deanne said as she came into the room. “It’ll help me concentrate while I sort out this mess”. Deanne placed the pink hat on her head, brushed away stay strands of hair and set to work. “Now, who was in the room immediately before I found it? Jake?”

“No, not present” Jake quickly replied looking a tad shifty without his dressing gown. “What happened anyway? Ah, the cake. I see.” Jake looked over the scene with growing interest. “Look, this has been cut and the chocolate spilt. There’s a trail of it and, oh look there’s some on Stefan’s shirt, and mouth.” Jake Poirot raised his eyebrows, ran his hand through his hair and took off into the other room. “ For goodness sakes, grow up you lot!

In Homage to;

My homage to Michael Ackerman.

The other day I was having a discussion as to what makes a good snap - at least I think we were. I never really can tell if there is another agenda behind the verbals. And someone there at the time was mesmerised by my new green hat , so much so that they hardly said a word. I've taken it off now so you can relax.

My philosophy for image making is that sometimes you do something and produce an image that just shouts at you. It may not conform to rules so beloved of photography clubs and the like, it may not conform to any 'norms' but somehow it works. For me that is. Occasionally, this image works for someone else too and that's nice.

This does not define the image good, bad or indifferent it just means that I like it or perhaps that I react to it. I want to look again not just pass over it onto the next image. I might even want it on the wall - for a little while at least. Ask me to tell you what I look for in an image and I can't really tell you. I don't actually know. But when I see it I know that the one.

This snap here is one of those; taken in Stornoway on the fly with some old Soviet brick of a camera with re-confectioned aerial surveillance film and printed on Ilford resin paper this morning. It's not straight, sharp or interesting but I DO like it. This years masterpeice.

Red light district

Evelyn.

Royston and Ziggy watch as a couple of joggers stagger past.

Mr Windy paid a visit today and stayed while his wife Deanne took the barking dog out for a run on the beach. So, I switched the red light light on and disappeared into the darkroom with Mr Windy for a while. In no time Mr Windy had learnt the art of wasting paper and produced some fine little prints for the first time. Nice.

No doubt, once Mr Windy has got the wardrobe made at la Maison du Vent he will be sloshing light sensitive paper around in chemicals and making fine prints.

I didn't make any snaps today so here's a few from a few days ago from a couple of local strolls.

Resolution

My dance teacher; Karmiena on Christmas Day. This is the 'swing' move.

I was discussing life, work and snapology today. We took a short trip to our small capitol where my good pal William met us to swap over the work equipment. Boxes exchanged, we looked at each other while William talked about 2011 over a mocha in the cafe. Twas very revealing I must say; William has made a 2011 resolution that he will provide a service for meditation, crystal therapy and colonic irrigation - just as soon as he can get the hosepipe extended out to the shed! Not sure if this is a service for the sheeps but either way I think I may avoid Cromor for a week or two till Williams little scheme has receded from his mind.

Then we caught up with Lewis Photographica over a coffee. Mr Coelyn was effervescent with excitetude for some reason. I suspect it's cabin fever after being somewhat house-bound after ballet step taught by Toots went wrong on the stairs. Mrs Coelyn tried the same move with a similar result. I suspect it was that since Toots was keeping very quiet today.

All the same Mr Coelyn suggested I try this and that in 2011 - and I might just do that or something like that. Possibly.

I am going to try a little more paper-neg photgraphising, continue some more documentary stuff around my home village and generally cause more imaging havoc. As I do.

Happy New Year

Walking into 2011 - with Ghreit who isn't barking for a change!

So, that's just about it. 2010 done and dusted bar the fat woman singing - and as I mentioned before, I don't sing. Well, I don't sing in tune anyway. Eve does sing - but not often. Lord Wiesmier, Pirate of this parish [retired] never utters a word or a sound come to that!

Lots of snaps taken this year predominately with 35mm cameras due in part to the sort of snaps I've been taking and in part because the huge hike in film prices these days. Some of these snaps recently appeared on television too so The Crofter and family are now even more well known.

A week on the Isle of Jura in May with Toots and the Coelyns was very nice - as was the weather. Two weddings in Engerland and a trip Ullapool with the Smits and Windys for the cyclosportive made for a busy year.

The downside was that my health had not been fantastic all year but hopefully, with a bit of hard-work on my part getting my head to think me well - plus help from Anne-Marie and others, 2011 seems like it's going to be much better. And so it should be.

On a similar note, our pal Curls is not so well at the moment so I ask you for positive thoughts to go out to him.

So here's a big thank you for your time in 2010 and best wishes and love to everyone for a wonderful, peaceful and contented 2011.

But my biggest thanks is to Eve, my wonderful partner with whom I have the most wonderful life.

Petri 7s

I recently acquired this little Petri rangefinder camera for a song. You wouldn't want to hear it, trust me. Tunefulness is not something that has visited me - not even fleetingly. The carmera came in a nice box and a leather case - the never-ready sort of case. Smelt lovely. Even better than my Zorki6 which has a touch of Frederick Engels' Condition of the working classes' about it.

This the Petri 7s was made by Kuribayashi Camera Industry of Japan and seems a fine and substantial affair made of metal and glass of the finest kind and works rather well for something that cost me ne'er a tune.

I'm not one to just wonder so loaded the thing with film and shot. I mean, just sat there and shot! And this is what I and the camera saw. The stove in the warming room.

The snow has gone

William. Just William. In Cromor.

The snow has gone. Disappearing overnight with just a mere thwop-miow in the night as the stuff slid off the roof onto some poor unsuspecting cat - probably.

With an air of an escapee, I set off with my dear Eve down to see William and Gemma to witness the Cromor 'moving of the sheeps' or some such local custom. We arrived too late after the pleasant but longish drive south. The sheeps had already been taken from up there on the moor and put up there on the moor with a brief interlude in the fank by the loch for something. Something which I still haven't grasped. I asked a few times but my understanding of 'sheep-talk' - wedders, gimmers and the like - is not up to the speed of crofters and I remain in ignorance. William had a lovely time though and obviously had dressed for the part too.

After soup and a fine chat William, Eve and I had a fine stroll over those there moors alongside the loch looking out over the Minch and the fine mountains of the mainland.

Inside and in

Toots; Inside Toots Towers, outside the mince pies.

This is Toots Wilson. We paid a visitation yesterday to say hello and drag him away from the warmth of his abode for a stroll on the beach. I hadn't realised how balletic Toots was until he did a pirouette on some iced machair behind the beach and somewhat less than gracefully laid flat on his face on the snowy ice. He got up OK and we completed a short walk before the cutting cold wind and coming rain got the better of us. We retreated to Toots Towers for tea and biscuits - and this Instax snap.

For others

For Deanne and Mr Windy

For The Coelyns; I don't do landscapes

Christmas Day

The Inaccessible beach [with something lurking]

Kate arrives

We didn't get there; the beach that is. Too much snow and ice. I snapped it up.

Kate looked non-plussed. I snapped her up too.

We went to the Smit's for luncheon and a game of donkey. I lost, Mrs Smit won. I didn't snap it up!

Day over. Lovely day too.

Christmas Eve

Tolsta

Clocks

Well, it's here at last. Christmas Eve that is. The snow is still here and I can officially say now I am now bored with it. Yes it looks lovely, but when my dear beloved employers call me out on a wild goose chase driving around the island on sheet ice interspersed with snow, the spell wears off a bit.

But I have heard from some very good friends around the globe today - Manchester, Australia and Gress to name three. Gress being the next but one village where I called in on Toots Wilson to pass on best wishes and the like and eat his Quality Street - although he seems to be doing quite a good job by himself.

Mother in Somerset has the sprouts cooking ready for the morn when she will entertain some 'old dears' - no doubt 10 years younger than herself - for Christmas dinner for the umpteenth year. Mother-in-law in Yorkshire is coughing nicely at her other daughter's mansion as they prepare for a family, children-rich day.

Clocks caught up with me today as I slid down to see The Crofter and we exchanged best wishes. But for those who don't live here, Clocks is one of those who does not celebrate Christmas being part of the Free Presbyterian Church congregation - or it might be the Free Church [continuing] but I cannot remember. You can read here why they don't celebrate Christmas. You have to respect people these days who have a strong belief like this and don't get carried away like most of us with the church of over-consumption. Still, I might add that I don't believe what they do and have my own faith devoid of dogma or rigid doctrine. I don't expect anyone to agree with me.

Anyway, I wish everyone a lovely Christmas whatever your faith, beliefs and wherever you reside, whatever your gender, sexual orientation or skin colour.

Many thanks for reading.

:-)

Hannah, Mick, Bee et al

I previously posted about this couple sailing the world after I met them when they called into Stornoway. Lovely couple and a fantastic experience they are having. They have a new blog and its well worth visiting http://gafferhannah.blogspot.com/.

Happy Christmas to you Mick, Bee et al.

Indoors

..................and sometimes a few snaps indoors is in order. Like this one of some flow-flows on the dining room table.

Winter solstice morning

What a wonderful morning. I was up early out at the back of the village trying to avoid the wasted energy [and cost] of the many village street lamps that burn here to see the lunar eclipse - a once in 372 years event. Hey, and I saw it. A little obscured by clouds from time to time but it was worth the effort. The air was calm if a little crisp and it glowed all around on the snow. Just wonderful. May it bring you health and contentment - and fertility if that's what you are after !!!

The wonderfulness of the morning was enhanced by a recent visitation to the Tolsta School 'Pantomime'. Brilliant and sold out too. We were all just wowed by Ruaraidh Wonka and all his Oompa Lumpas, Squirrels and assorted helpers. The house band was so good it will soon be seen at the Heb Fest I'm sure. I even managed to get a few autographs of the actors which I shall treasure till they are all famous.

White

Gold star to this family who braved the snow on foot and wheels!

Like the rest of the UK, the Isle of Lewis has been having a cold time of it. For the third time this year we have had substantial snow - no doubt as a result of climate change. Unlike the rest of the UK, it's really not very bad at all here. Yes, the snow lies round about all crisp and even, but its only just at freezing point while Mater's in Somerset has -4c at the moment. Of course, while the Gulf Stream continues we will remain a little less cold than many places although the wind does add a chill to proceedings much of the time.

So, here's a few more snow snaps;

Do keep warm :-)

Going all Docherty

Mr Windy going all Docherty

"Mum, does Dad have to look like that?"

Mr Windy and his lovely wife Deanne was at the Rat-Pack concert last Friday evening enjoying the music and the company no doubt. I'm really not sure what was said between Jake Windy and Deanne since my ears were all tinitused up from the over-worked PA in the place combined with a high C from a singer and the tightly puckered trumpet player. But it doesn't look too approving! Eh?? Still Mr Windy was enjoying the attention. I might add here that the ciggi in his mouth was real but not his, not lit and not on a Sunday either :-)

For those of you who reside south of Watford / equator, you may [not] know that the island has had another unusual dump of snow overnight. So much so that the darkroom door was plastered with the ghastly stuff - as was the bedroom window which led me to initially think that the snow was deeper than it really was when I woke up. Thankfully, twas only a dusting of a few inches.

For those Leicafile forum-ites, there a bit for you over on my Island Crofter blog.

It's all about M.E.

I do M.E. or CFS - whatever yo want to call it. I'm in my 10th year so I am quite good at it. However, it has rather got the better of me of late - creaking bones, sore muscles and non-working tum. I have not been so productive on the snapping front as a result. Been a bit touchy and weepy too. But I'm getting better by the day. Meditation helps a lot.

This images of Emily cheers me no end. I took it at the recent Rat-Pack big band evening and I posted the original snap earlier. Now I've enlarged the neg on the pooter, printed it to very cheap OHP film and made this Vandyke. I just love the image. I have several versions of this - none of which are perfect but when I get the perfect print of it I'll varnish it and look at it from time to time and it will cheer me immensely and help me heal myself.

Francis Albert and admirer

Mr Windy

Francis Albert and admirer

Plotting

Of course Frank Sinatra was there - up on the wall in the movies. Apt, since the place we were in used be a cinema now moved to the more salubrious and well-supported an Lanntair art centre.

Mr Windy was there too as were these two young gentlemen no doubt plotting the downfall of CnES.

Murdo Sinatra & Co

Two young singers await their turn

Contemplation

Three snaps from the Big Band rat-pack evening at the British Legion last night.

The evening was based in the 1960s and some were dressed for the occasion hair-do's and all. A nice few hours with some good music, lovely singers but sadly, missing a bit of the atmosphere of the Glen McMillar theme last year.

I took the Zorki6 and Kiev 4 Soviet rangefinders and this is the first roll of film from the Zorki. Hp5 rated at 1600 asa.

BTW; The filming that took place in our little home a few months ago is for the Adventure programme on BBC Scotland on 27th Dec @ 19.00. I'm seen the bit I'm in so i don't feel quite so bad about it!

snow sheeps

Look, that's a proper snowy snap!

We have had a bit snow round these parts. Only an inch or two - unlike the mainland - but it is very cold. The roads are like ice-rinks and I may have to venture out on a job tonight. Luckily, I'm all Reiki-ed up at the moment after a lovely session with my friend here on the island so I'm feeling good and able to cope with the worst of the conditions. Rather like the Hebridean sheeps that are living over the road from me on a lovely croft :-)