Eve with the Bob

 

Eve and the Bob just ready for a little ridette with me aboard the ebike. We do that from time to time. Puts a smile on my face for a few moments.

Keith and I

 

I was going into the dark.

Keith wanted the light.

Hub

 

If you go down to the Hub today

you're sure of a nice surprise

The food, drink and atmosphere are all excellent at this cafe in Stornoway where cyclists get an extra special welcome. Above is Alistair the proprietor of the cafe and adjoining bike shop. He is a fine coffee sommelier as well. Try the 'special' coffee of the week.

Serves vegan, veggie and meaty food as well as gluten free as well as everything else.

I do rather like this place.

village stroll

 

forgive me

 

another island

 

someone couldn't stand still for 5 mins. and I don't mean the dogs.

 

A bad snap [aren't they all] using a pinhole box on newish 8x10 paper and inverted in the pooter. The image was badly constructed as I wasn't sure of the angle of view having not used the thing for years. My sitter [stander] didn't stay still and I badly developed the thing after having now used pre-fogged paper. Apart from that.....

look up

 

It's far too easy to forget to look up when one is in a city as we were the other week. Only we did look up and rather admired the fine building that were built around the place. Not sure why I photoed these two, perhaps the lines and the like.

through a train window

 

doggie

 

not today

 

I used an old Minolta zoom lens that to be honest is about as good as using a sharp looking sock to take pictures through.

This was a few weeks ago but just found the negs !

cat on a cold concrete floor

 

I couldn't sleep the other night. Nothing new there then but this time the pinholing came to mind so when daylight came I dug out the 8x10 pinhole box Alex of the Boyd gifted me before he left these shores. Loaded it with old darkroom paper and shot the cat. Slowly.

bin there

 

I do love these

 

All aroubnd Glasgow are some fine murals that really impress. Sure beats blank walls everywhere

there again

It was all going on here.

Pity the world has become so nasty and dividied.

my valentine

 

badly snapped girl.

a lovely person all the same. 

Love you so much xx

another Glasgow

 

I mean, what's not to like except for the rain and cold.

Looking over to the Necropolis.

begging to be snapped up and everything.

So I snapped it up.

Glasgow: who knew?

 

I think this was when the bear arrived

 Look, I don't know what was going on here. Yes I was there I'm told.

I mean, those peeps and everything. Running away perhaps. I would if I had seen the bear coming....

Oh hang on, I'm told it wasn't a bear. Maybe I just dreamt that.

That's what happens when you leave this island.

looking to turn left

 

On the way to the Smoke we were lucky.

The ferry driver chose a smooth bit on the way over to and from the mainland between a couple gales that stopped the boats from sailing at all. The gangway in Stormoway was broken mind.

The bus broke down on the way and back as well. As it happened there was a coach following both times so we quickly swopped  to the working one. Does that happen all the time? Maybe that's why they send coaches out in twos. 

Loved the binscapes though.

no idea where they keep their sheeps

 

Plenty of bin-scapes though. Big bins too.

This must have been the hour it didn't rain.

Nothing like taking in the architectural delights. 

Nothing like it at all.

we went on a train

 

 

Not here I might add. they stopped building a train line here early last century.

No, we braved the storms to get across The Minch on the ferry - between ferry cancelations - took a bus down to Glasgow and had a few days mooching about the museums. Right lovely but glad to be back on the rock.

I'm messing now

 

did I tell you .....

oh yes, I think I have told you.
 

waiting for Keith

 

I may be doing other things

on Keith's stroll

 

containing the island

 

this may be art; trust me I'm a con artist

 

ooof and everything. I almost like this despite the lack of movement and blur.

have I ever told you I like walls?

 

Look at those sweet walls. Makes me weep with pleasure. Over in another Tolsta on the westside of the isle here. The village is nice enough but can get above itself. Having said that, they knew how to do walls - as in many places on the island. 

containing the island 2

 

Even this ere Carloway football club has a container. 

See, this was before the snow and everything when it was sunny. Briefly.

white stuff

 

Of course we went out in the snow. Keith the cat came too although he was less keen than Eve and I. Might have something to do with his paws getting cold.

As we came back, the sun started to shine through but the snow stayed.

Containing the island 1

 

They are everywhere. I can almost see one from here at the pooter down on The Crofters gaff. He uses his as a butchery. Usually they are for storage but could be anything or virtually anywhere. There's a few floating out there in the sea too causing havoc for sailors.

I was going to show you

 I was going to show you a print I did yesterday - on Ilford FB only, I have not found a good way to scan it yet. Tried snapping it with me phone but that was horrible. The colour looked like it had been dunked in Typhoo when in fact it was fine green tea. It wasn''t lying flat either.

Anyway, you will just have to image the masterpiece that it is.

don't even think it....

 

Do you remember this place?

we went there once. Not so many years ago and it was hot.

oh

 

Back in 2016 The Crofter still had a working Chinese tractorette. Now sadly consigned to the rust heap I think. 

Eve

 

Eve in 2021. 

Don't know what I'd do without her 

in the wood

 

ugh

 

Home of the year

 

Scotland's Home of the Year all tucked to withstand the winter winds we get here on the edge of the Minch.

Lovely place.

No, I don't know either

 

living up here

 

You can see the way the wind blows. It's a wonder that the sea doesn't all run down to the equator. 

At least we get to chose a daly beach as we are surrounded by them. Here this one is right by the sea.

calmish

 

After a few days of a cold snap and a sprinkling of snow, the rain came follwed shortly by the wind. The roof tiles rattled last night.

saved

 A snap saved from the roll of film out of the ailing Brownie. Suitably cropped.

How is 2023 going for you?

a Brownie has died

 

Don't worry, it's only a Brownie camera that has died. The light got in where it shouldn't - down the shutter prodder thing. And to think I paid a £1 for this camera too. Actually, Eve paid a £1. But still, what a waste. Having said that I am sure I have another camera of this type knocking about somewhere. Must look behind the settee.

I do hope this is not an indication of how 2023 is going to go on.

the piggies have gone

 

Back in the 2012 day The Crofter used to keep piggies. Big fat ones that rarely bred. Obviously he dressed for the occasion of feeding them.

The piggies have now gone to that bacon slicer in the sky and The Crofter's dress sense has not improved.

You can see why I don't use colour film here too.

and there we were

 

2012 and the world still seemed a good place.

Happy hats on - a purchase from Glastonbury carnival some years before, the washing drying over the Rayburn.

Into the New Year

Lets hope it's a happy, safe and healthy one for us all. Got to be better than 2022 surely? Please let it be so. Got to be better than the afternoon I spent in Toot's darkroom the other day. Good job Toots is off island !

Best wishes to everyone including my reader xx

your last chance

 It's your last chance to trash my snap taking this year and welcome in 2023 which has come all too soon.

Thanks for coming this way and best wishes to you for the future wherever you are.

a wall

 

An interesting wall here and we have plenty more of them about the place. Most seem to be comprised at least in part of concrete. 

The past may be the future

 

No I don't know what the title of this post means - if anything. Just thought I'd not used it before.

As you can see we still have the mod-cons on the island. 

sheeps

They are more than likely gone now since I snapped this in 2021 which seems and is a while back. time flies.

I am in for a bit of blood letting this morning so I am hoping that works out ok.