Mission House Studio

 

Have not been in ages so must make a trip soon.

Always a lovely welcome to be had as well as suberbe art.

Go and visit too.

I was there in  2009 with an 8x10 camera

Tom

 

This isn't Tom - although it could be. Maybe it is.  Yes, it is I am sure, only he wasn't at this wedding in 2018.

Excuse me. The library van just arrived and I had to return the books. And have a chat with the driver man who I regularly see in the cafes in Stornoway along with pal I first met doing a temporary census job years ago. Plenty of cafes in Stornoway to visit too. I mean that's practically the best bits of the place as it happens - unless it's wet  and there are cruise ships in in which case the cafes are rammed with "do you live here's ".

Anyway, this wasn't Tom - I mean the magnificent snap above since it was taken at the wonderous marriage of Gwyneth and her late husband the lovely and much missed Victor.

Oh Tom. You know Tom and everything. Him of Art and crafts, 2022 Scottish Home of the year and generally lovely creative man . BTW; his website isn't happening these days. 

We visited Tom again again yesterday in what should be Scottish garden of the year surrounding his Scottish Home of the year 2022 house and studio. Two silver birch trees had been purchased and now planted by the Artist Tom himself in his patch, one to remember Victor and another to replace the horrible "tree" we had cut down by our Man Who Does outside our summer parlour window. 

warmish

 

Oooof, right lovely atm here in the village and on the beach. yes, i have been for a paddle in the now warmish water in the shallow bits. I suspect it's doing my aching feet a world of good. Took the Perkeo out with me this morning so you never know I might have some square snaps to show.

Eve is out on the old Eroba bike checking the new rejuvenated gears. hopefully all is ok.

Ongoing

 

Another snap from the recent Perkeo roll of Foma100 shot in a day or something. Love this little camera even if it's a bit battered these days. 

Eve and I were strolling along the harbourside in the sunshine and we noticed that the repaired wall was nearly finished. it's been going on for years and now other bits are collapsing. Did you notice I said the sun was shining! It had been for days although the rain is now back,

We did our cleaning stint at the bowls clubhouse today and treating ourselves to brunch out. Mending the infirm campag rear derailleur on the Late Vic' Posse's  Euroba bike today as well. The lower spring was not functioning and I thought the cage tension spring had broken. I spent ages sourcing and buying a new spring then found today that the thing was gummed up despite outward clean appearances. A little bit of tinkering and cleaning and now the thing works fine.

bush in trees

 

This snap looked great in my mind.

Less so in reality.

BTW: I had the most wonderful postcard delivered to me from photographist Shaun Harvey. I suggest you check him out on Insta

Here it is

 

I know, I didn't get the post prepared, so I am late. The sun has been shining and, there is the Giro to keep up with. What do you expect?

Locals

 

Not sure who these are but they live just over the road at the moment and are charming. Seemed to be enjoying the sunshine too.

Perhaps they are two of the many horse around the village that are part of the Traigh Mhor pony trekking.

peeking

 

Just love building peeking over the landscape like this shed near the middle of Stormoway. Taken again with the old Perkeo on Foma100- film.

out with the perkeo

 

 Out with the Voigtlander Perkeo  and Foma100 film in the sunshine of Stormoway. On;y, it's warm and the sun is shining

another found neg

 

Love these images. 

found neg

 

A rather lovely snap of Fordson tractor

Lost pals

 

Our recently departed friend Vic with the long gone Frank [dope on a rope Lab] and Rocky [terrorist]

6x9

 

This snap was taken some years back in Lancs on t'canal of Mondo my lovely cycling pal. Not sure why I didn't use these cameras more as despite their age, were fine picture takers.

Arab Baths

 

It wasn't crowded

down the road a bit

 

Somehow my health has been playing up a bit so have not been up to much but here's a snap from a recent car trip to Harris. A lovely day despite our preferred cafe being shut

??

 

yes, digi ir. sorry about that.

***

 

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Vic

 

Sad to say our great pal Victor Posse died yesterday.

Think this picture sums Vic up - always up for a challenge here riding a tandem criterium race with Evelyn some years back. 

A fine fellow, he will be missed by everyone not least his wife Gwyneth and the rest of his family.

Rest in Peace Sir

Loom

 

We went to the picture houde the others  to see a talkie. Very nice at was too, lots of good actors and all that.

While we were there we bumped into all manner of local minor celebs taking in the opening of a LooM retrospective. Was lovely to see a few familiar faces again. We have not been to an art opening in ages. Well, not for a month anyway. One of the pieces on display was based on our brutalist bus stops we have here , like this one in our village below a brutalist church building.

normal service has resumed

 Normal as in wind and rain over the village here. 

Been out but better indoors.

binscapes

 Perhaps I will rerun to a fav of mine - binscapes

conflicted

 

We got off the bus because it looked like it might be an interesting place. It wasn't that interesting to be honest so we sat on the pavement till the next bus appeared; then we got off by a harbour full of gin palaces and yahoo Henriettas and a welcome cafe - once we had negotiated the extensive road works. such are the delights of the last day abroad place when you have run out of energy and drive. I mean, me on a tourist bus? I'm from Bath-Spa and quite the better class of snob don't you know.

It's peeing with rain atm. Tis cold and windy. I did enjoy a short stroll to the crofters this morning to take some greens for the wee animules of which they have plenty.

Now, as I write this on wednesday I am trying to decide whether to go to indoor bowls in Stormoway or  else stay home and watch the many bike races that are happening and being broadcast. Mmm, now what to do?

bikists

 

Lots of them, in every cafe we passed and on the road as well. Looked lovely and I so wanted it to be me.

can't resist

 

I think this is an Oooof

 

There you are, the very next snap on the film is lovely. {obvs I shan't show you all the failures] but this is why I continue to make these snaps. For the moment.

ATM, the weather has gone very cold. Bitter in fact. I back in my winter garb,

Poor thing

 

I hate seeing these horse carriages especially in warm weather. At least I saw the driver man hosing the poor beast down while they awaited more tourists.

Not sure why I do this type of snap now since I probably have done it to death. My only reasoning is that something 'new' will reveal itself. And anyway, I still have Polypan-f film :-) Lots of it as it happens.

 

back in the old country

 

What a  marvelous stroll we had along the waters of Leith that day. Before the rain and me falling over that is.

We had been to the Museum of contemporary Arts before that. [nice cup of tea thanks]. Twas lovely till it wasn't.

What?

 

No idea since you ask. 

Saw it and had to snap it. 

That's the sort of excitement I have on holiday.

bin on hols

 Did I mention we been on hols. I'm recovering well since you ask. In fact I went out for a leetle island photo jaunt with me pal Toots the other day. Sunshine and everything. It was a digital trip so I won't show it here but we had a lovely coffee and kake in a cafe. made it all worthwhile.

I still have a couple of films from me hols to develop. Somehow I don't seem to be 'on it' quite so quickly these days. I mean there's an unscanned film right in front of me as I type. Obviously full of masterpieces but perhaps they need to mature before I look at them.

scootering

Told you they were everywhere. whizzing this way and that - all ages aboard and not an obvious problem anywhere. 

Got the bike Eve is going to use for a forthcoming retro bike ride down from the loft. A lovely campag equipped Euroba - race owned by a good pal Vic Posse. The freewheel is being super-efficient as I write, freewheeling in both directions which it shouldn't. I have let loose on the wd40 and hope that will do the trick.

Bear with me while go out to the darkroom to develop a film. Will not be long.

 

Birthday

 

It was Eve's significant birthday recently so, as it happens, once we had paid our carbon offset took the nightmare that is traveling by plane to a warm place. Lots of bikes and electric scooters all over the place. Cafes here and there and all places;  blimin cars everywhere too. 

We have just about recovered from this trip. Not sure I'll do it again. 

dark forces

 

I'm loving this snap. taken with the little olympus xa and polypan-f film. No idea where it was or who but who cares. 

Have I said how wonderful it is to be home on the Rock in our little mouse house? No? Well it it is wonderful.

The sun is shing as I write. Eve is out on her bike and I have another film to develop. you know, back to usual really.

and then it rained

 

It was nice . Bach concert and everything. I fell over though. Rolled around in the busy road like a drunk on a night out. Bruised me up, grazed my hand, soaked me to the skin and worst of all hurt my pride. 

The concert was lovely courtesy of pal Masha.

Just have to say how comfortable to be at home again. Makes me wonder why  we go away at all. So much hassle, tiredness and expense.

we went through here

The wind was cool but the air dry then. On the bus we rattled down the roads, this voyage uninterrupted by vehicular breakdowns. And yes I had a little camera with me.
 

Loverly

 Back home and how loverly that is.

The wind may be from the frozen north but we are just dandy in our little mouse house.

Been away to the big smoke for a few days taking in the galleries and the pollution as we traipsed around the galleries and met some pals from times past.

Another 500T

 

This time from a while back at the SamyeLing Buddhist centre. I have a great deal of time for the Buddhist way of life.

Yes, we have been off island. Back to some sort of normality soon.

Kodak 500T

 

This time Kodak 500T film which was a cinema emulsion that uses a different development protocol that the usual c41 film. I tried it because I could. I don't like it.

The snap was in the town hall in Stornoway at the Horticultural society show.

The village

 

Yes Harman again. And no it won't be a regular thing.

catching up

 

Another from the Harman colour film taken with the little Olympus  xa camera. Looks like The Crofters on Christmas day.

colour

 

I don't 'do' colour. It doesn't do much for me. having said that I thought I'd try some of the new Harman Phoenix film.

stones

 Another cemetery snap this time with the Hassie using up the film in it. Nice sky at the time.

hoping

 

Hoping this white stuff doesn't make an appearance here again in the near future. I mean, I like the look, but makes getting anywhere difficult especially off island as the mainland opposite usually cops it worse.

Art

 

The exhibition we went to visit had fine sandwiches and coffee. The snaps were great as were the paintings and poems. Best of all the peeps there were lovely.

We stopped here on the way back. Why not? It was just a momentary stop.

been a tad damp

 

The village has been a tad damp recently. The crofter's croft is a mud bath, the peat tracks are fine frog-spawning places.

Houses houses houses

 

There are new houses going up all over the village. This one one down on a croft all black and just so. I photographed here in the barn in foreground a year or two back as the local crofter wrestled sheeps - see here. 

How life moves on so quickly.

Opera

 

The Scottish opera came to Stormoway recently and we, that's Eve and I went along. Lovely evening though the story was hard to follow unless one had a babelfish stuck in one ear as it was variously in English, French, German and Russian. 

I suspect it was a take on local politics but who could tell?

We are off to an exhibition opening as I write over on the west side, the other side of this island. Snaps, writings and drawings - so lots to look forward too. I shall report back in good time.

Here's another

 

I can hardly believe that no-one mentioned much yesterday. I love that snap.

Another Ilford G3 print this time from a 6x6 I came upon in the pile that is my filing system. My system seems to have gone to pot since we bought a new settee. anyway, this was taken using an auxiliary close up lens I think. looks like it anyway. Nice shine on the print from the kitchen light too.

Ilford G3

 

I was in the darkroom yesterday and produced a couple of prints on some G3 Ilford paper I found. Did the job nicely unlike the scan here. Still a nice snap of someone going about their days. No idea where it was not that it matters.

Was taken on Polypan-f film which I really like and still have a fair amount of thank goodness. I shall be taking a few rolls of it with a suitable camera when we have a short sojourn in Edinburgh soonish on the day when Eve was born - a few years back.