In the summer parlour, the walls are hung with some art collected from artists I know or have known. This first gem by local artist, teacher and all round good egg Christine Morrrison . It's called "fissure" and I love it.
Apologies for the bad phone snap.
I shall show you other pieces I have in this room soon. if I remember.
The orange blob is back. His mum came from a village just up the road - an illegal immigrant to usa I'm led to believe. Sorry about that.
I know what has happened over there but I spent to day snapping on the dunes and watching indoor lawn bowls. The world felt good.
The snapping machine was a Bronica sq only, I hadn't realised I'd already put film in and opened it up messing it up somewhat and making the film counter start again. as a result I had 5 shots left on the roll of FP4 . this was one I like.
Another of my several 505si cameras has reached the downward spiral of usefulness. As with the others, the viewfinder mirror has discoloured gravely rendering it useless. This was one it's last images with a 50mm lens the other day. I used Foma 400@200 and developed in good old Rodinal.
Little snap from a Nikon V1 d*g*tal camera I have in my possession. We were out for a little strollete in the next village or two when I snapped this tree with dearest Eve adjacent.
The weather was fine if a little chilly as the snow crunched beneath our feet.
We have had snow here for the past few days. Looks lovely but then I don't have to drive in it. we took a few strolls and keith insisted on accompanying us from time to time. This time the imaging device I had on my person was a bit of a Frankencamera - a Zorki6 body and Chroma Double glass 24mm f11 lens loaded with old old polypan-f asa 25 film. For once the camera worked, I held it still properly and Keith didn't smile in that sickly way we humans often do.
love the snap but not camera lens combination.
The genre that is blurry snaps I like very much. It's becoming much more popular these days with lots of peeps on the interweb.
I rather like this snap of Eve on the local dunes.
I posted it some while back but here it is again. Sorry and all that.
The weather has gone off. The rain is coming down almost horizontally as the wind comes in from the north. It's a tad chilly too so we have not ventured out yet [writing this Monday. tbh I hadn't realised it was monday when I woke this morning. Seem to have got a bit out of sync] / Keith has come in shouting because he's sodden after being out in the rain and Hungry is luxuriating upstairs.
The weather does not do good this for the infrastructure here. This nest of bins lost most of their house in recent blows. Not sure who designed that but I wont be employing them.
Look, look I found another tree - or tree like object. Back in Bac as it is in the local. I get fuel for my horseless carriage here as it the cheapest on the island and the most local. There's a hairdresser, a barber, a coffee and muffin shoppe as well as a car repair person next door too.
A quick snap of one of those new fangled metal and plastic bus stops that are constantly requiring repair because of the local weather. This is actually intact although somewhat grimy. I prefer the concrete behemoths that are virtually indestructible and always grim.
Eat your heart out Toots, the first tree of 2025 and everything. A proper old one in the castle grounds up in the big town of Stormoway. No idea what sort of tree it is since you ask but I sure someone will tell me.
The snow was still around yesterday but took a cup of coffee, not at the cafe of choice [ The Hub] which was full to bursting but at a little place nearby. The coffee was fine although the atmosphere less so. The walk afterwards was nice too and we found more trees which since they stood still I quickly snapped up with the OM1 or is it a Om2? Who knows ? I do know I can't focus the blimin thing so well these days.
Yes those white spots are snow sprinkles reflecting the on camera flash that went off unexpectedly. It didn't spoil the stroll we took down the road towards Number 1 North Tolsta along with Keith the cat. We found the air was crisp and relatively calm after a cold snowy night.
I have a plan to try and kick start Mr Toots into a photo project this year. I know it's like kicking a wall but I feel I want to persist. Toots has a thought to photograph trees for some reason that escapes me. So i thought I'd start the snapping the things to encourage him Only, I couldn't face going out to find some proper trees as there none near here and it would have a meant a drive the next village at the least and on slippery roads. So we went home and had a nother cup of tea.
This rare snap of mine was taken with a canon eos 50, 40mm lens and HP5 film should you care to know.
A very Happy and healthy New Year to my reader.
I made it to 2025 after a bumpy 2024. And I celebrate the day with a dig*tal snap by dearest Eve. Here I am pictured just before I staggered along the paths of the Castle grounds in Stormoway yesterday. It was wet. And lovely I might add.
We had been to the cinema the day before to see a 'documentary' about a bear in Peru which was a tad disappointing in the end. Surprised me that there were so many kids there for a subject matter as was, but by the end of the endless ads beforehand most of them were asleep anyway.
As you might imagine we painted the town red last night [in our dreams] and saw the new year in while we slumbered. such are the delights of old age.
I hopr 2025 is going to be peaceful and healthy for us all.
Back in the day way back a year or three back I attended Walter's fine QiGong sessions in Stornoway. I stopped because I got lazy and I rather wish I could do them again if only to take some more snaps of Walter doing the moves. I took these with a Perheo manual camera and guessed exposure which actually worked quite well.
I have seen Walter about the island from time and can report he is fairing rather well as one might expect. Best wishes to him for the coming years.
Greetings once again to my reader. May all your wishes come true.
I'm wishing the rain will stop for a moment or two. That would be nice.
I might even get round to doing some more snaps this year. Wonders will never cease.
Terrible flash induced snap of my dearest Eve, light of my life prancing around the kitchin in her summer outfit in the middle of winter.
Happy Christmas to my reader. Many thanks for visiting. Hope it been worth the effort to come here. May you next years be full of health and happiness. And film.
After it rained all night the sun eventually came out in the morning so a stroll down to the Crofters was called for. It's not that far at all but when the sun shines it is glorious as it is on the way back as above with the warm rays on your back.
The i took off in the car to a beach road at the end of the village when I shot with the Hassie for a double exposure collab I am doing with IshTish on the island. I'm shooting NPS160 for this [it was going to be an E3 film but thought better of it.] while IshTish shoots Tmax400 in 35mm. Should be fun.
We got wet as it happens but all the same it was lovely and just a bit like this snap above. you'll just have to imagine the sea and the sand
This was a time when I had the energy to go places, snap things up and develop the films. However, I do still have energy to follow the cats - Hungry and Keith. With the current mild less windy nights Hungry has taken to going out early morning for a prowl. I do wonder if Keith bashing him round the ear with his paw has something to do with that. Then I find the curled up together in the winter sunshine on our bed. Is it any wonder I seem to have developed an allergy to cats.
I felt sure you'd want to see the animal all-sorts ready for the holiday break.
There's hundreds of these geese around the place. Flown in from I don't know where and settled here on the island.
Perhaps this is the time I did my recently improved knee in again thanks to physio help. Off, all a bit sore so back to the physio excersizes and static bike riding. The static bike [Eve's mtn bike on a turbo thing] is in the potting shed so at least I kept of the howling wind that is around as I write.
No bowls for me for a day or two..
Yes it was wet up there on that track. It's nearly always wet there and the frogs love it for their spawning. The puddles are worth crossing as the views further along this little track can be stunning. I mean, you can't see from this snap but maybe you can in the next;
I was inspired enough to take a few snaps with the Minolta A3 rangefinder camera [1955] and some HP5 film which, you;ll pleased to note, I developed soon after.
For some strange reason it's warmer than some summer days at the moment. The rain still comes along with the occasional burst of blinding sunshine here captured in pixels in Stormoway.
I'm sure you know Toots Wilson, my good pal from the next village and everything. Eve and I did a bit of calling in to Toots Towers as we hadn't seen him for a day or two. And there he was sat sitting as he is wont to do surveying all before him with a slight smile on his face as if he was plotting something. I sat down on the comfy settee set at right angles to his chair, got out the little pixel collecting box I had on me and shot him up - for which many apologies. Not for shooting up Toots [we are not Shetland so camera not gun used] but for the method of shooting.
Yes I used a dig*tal box on account that I have been a tad over-creaky of late and have not felt the urge to shoot film and that's a pity since I have plenty of cameras and film. As you can see though, i have mastered the dig*tal thing pretty well.
The lens used to take this is so wide - 20mm- i can almost see behind me. Too wide for me really.
The day we strolled through the woods - before the snow came. It's almost all gone now as we await the next blow.
There's a few boats still afloat in the harbour. Some of the old fishing fleet has been sold to African countries I'm told. The newest looking boat is whale watching thing I think - next to the lifeboat which very rarely goes out thank goodness.
The Blue Lobster cafe tempted us this day. We'd won a voucher a while so took advantage of it. I must say the coffee was nice and the views o'er the harbour great for espying what's going on, which was not much.
A morning in the house.
A nice snappette taken with a canon 40mm f2.8 and foma film. I mean, I quite like it anyway.
We are off with the Toots' and Coelyne for an early festive meal in our wee capital Stormoway tonight. Should be lovely.
The weather has come in the last few days. A little snow and cold winds. Nice for a change but there's a blow on the way in now. Must tie the cats down.
Been a tad misty of late but it does make for moody snaps like this one from the west side of the island. Old and new cemeteries by the sea. Cemeteries are nearly always by the sea here on account of the ground being suitable - somewhat dry, sandy and not rock.
Then the snow came overnight. not too much but enough to make the place nice and white for a while.
All being well, it will be time for me to pick up Eve from the airport after her trip down south. It's be hell here and I can hardly wait.
I did manage a stroll on the beach today since it's like summer - 12c and sunny.
Keith the cat took a leaf from Eve's book and took himself a little trip away from home for a couple of days - without telling me first though. as a result I have been worried sick I'd said something wrong to him or he had been eaten some large unknown creature of the dark.
You will all be pleased as I was that he wandered back into home this morning at 4.30am cool as you like. Not an apology either just a demand for food and then to sleep.
I am mighty relieved he's home.
Just had a visit from Mr & Mrs Toots - which was lovely since I am currently here alone with Keith and Hungry the cats whom I think are planning something nasty for me. Eve is in Yorkshire with family having a fine old time I hope.
Tis a fine place this Bhaltos. Great to visit but perhaps less good to live there. Having said I and Gwyneth do know someone who has come from the mainland and build a house there.
Give it a year or two and come and visit. Not next year as the press are saying these rocks we live on are the location to visit in the next while and it may well be heaving.
I was using the Perkeo while away. it's small and has a nice lens but a hopeless operator.
Recently had a visit from an old friend from the mainland. Mrs OOK came and we revisited places Gwyneth and her late husband Vic had previously been. Here's Gwyneth going up to the sculpture on Bhaltos peninsula the other day. Twas lovely.
Now she's gone home the weather has closed in - wind and rain.
