Spring is almost here

At least, it should be.

We are not here as it happens. Elsewhere, no doubt battling wind and rain I shouldn't wonder. It follows us around you see.

I saw you

There you are, proof positive. Reeling back from being shouted at by the gooses. Still, I gave them coffee to compensate. The Palmers that is, not the gooses. Gooses aren't so keen on coffee. Legs yes.

60

No not me but my dearest Eve to whom I have been with for over 12 years and who makes my life so wonderful. Yes, It's hard to believe but today she is 60!

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dearest Evelyn
etc etc.

And no that isn't Eve on the bike in the warming room but myself - snapped up by Eve using the Bronica. Eve looks so much nicer on the bicycle.

Don't you just love a smart-arse?

There's this Bruce Munro fella me lad. He's a sculpterist apparently. Well, I rather like this piece seen in Edinburgh the other week. Proper nice. I rather like this type of snap too. Got a touch of Japanesey about it I think - and I like that.

One day someone else will say they like these snaps too - that will surprise me. Actually, Eve does like it. Look she was even smiling when I took the snaps!

It's coming up to Eve's significant birthday so I thought I'd take a special snap

There we were sauntering around Summerhall Arts place, looking, sniffing, drinking and generally having a stimulating time while making sure we were noticed - obviously. It's the sort of place one goes to be seen - rather like Waitrose or Harrods or Buth Tholastaidh. Only this place has art in it. Actually, mostly it's Art. Mostly - although some did smell odd. Anyway, this was in Edinburgh don't you know. And I snook this rather lovely image of Eve with a Holga - a plastic camera of dubious heritage - loaded with colour film. I hated the colour so told it to go away. It did and now I love the image.

Look,see this.

Sometimes one cannot resist.

One has to admit, it wasn't meant to be like this. I used a proper camera and everything with aperture priority which means the exposure should have been right. Somehow, some were but this was not. I like it all the same though. Possibly because it was not 'right'. I'm like that you know. Ask Mr Coelyne, he'll tell you.

Yes, I have been there before

I like it here. Just up for the hoosey o'er the back of fank. Towards the moor and what-have-you. Twas with the Bronica and the Chinese film - hence the grot. Still, I had fun taking it and that's what counts - especially, as I never [usually] take landscapes although I do believe this is really a peat-track scape!

Oh, and don't forget to listen to The Archers on Radio 4 as Bradley Wiggins is arriving!

Here she is

Of course it's not in focus! What do you expect? Purrfection? Are you sure you are on the right blog?

Anyway, tis Her Highness Henrietta Cartier-Bresson on 'her' settee resting on some negs and prints - as one does.

Show Open

We were invited. And we went. That's the sort of people we are. Mind you, the weather was so very awful that day there was little else to do.

The man with the beret was there too. Might have a bit overkill that.

Now, this is proper sunshine and everything.

Look what greeted us this morning. Sunshine. Cool but sunny. HHHCB is having a fine old time running all over the place and terrorising the local cat population. Eve was up early and took her bicycle into work with a nice 13 mile ride along the coast. I was up early too and into The Smoke for an appointment.

I had a point and shoot camera with me but the day was so very nice I could not resist a stroll looking and snapping this way and that. Lovely. Even though I say it myself. And no, these were not developed in anything modified from Toots' recipe book or with Caffenol.

It stopped raining so we went to the beach. I took a camera. Two actually.

Honest; we did go. It was awfully chilly and my ears nearly fell off - or felt like it anyway. Mr & Mrs Toots came along - dragged themselves away from a nice warm fire to be blasted by a cold wind on the beach at Garry in Tolsta here. Eve was there too - obviously. The snap above was not then but yesterday when Eve & I called in to see the Toots' in their cosy abode. Here one can see Mr Toots trying to decide what photo chemicals to buy. I snapped him up with the Bessa and Industar61. As one does.

On the other hand, I captured this moment with my homemade and malfunctioning pinhole camera which seems to let in light in all the wrong places. There you are; The Toots' and Eve playing king of the castle on a rock surrounded by sea. A bit.

Crinkled

There we are. A lovely bit of crinkled, crinkled stuff. I think perhaps at one time it stopped something from getting in or out of wherever this is. Or, tried to stop something anyway.

Usually round here anyway, the crinkled stuff is iron. Rusty iron actually. It's all over the place but, I think perhaps this is made of something else. I didn't breathe in at the time.

Back to the factory

If you are not an ardent follower of the Island Crofter blog, then you might not know who this is. Go on, click on the link and have a look see, but do come back here after. Interesting isn't it? eh! He just lives down the road and has been away oop north to the Arctic Circle with a special lady friend last week. He's back now. That's how I shot him up with a random Minolta AF camera, some AgfaASP400s film sloshed in Firstcall B&W film developer. For this 400s film Firstcall B&W developer is my choice [at the moment]- at least I can get the stuff to work - unlike that concoction Mr Toots made up for me [not that I'm not grateful etc] and it is a great price too. With Rodinal for other films I'm sated.

Hope you understand all this stuff. I wish I did.

Parked

Yes it was parked. A while back by the look of it. Pity  really as it was a lovely Renault 4 once! Shot with the Kiev60 and not ruined in the development. Well, not entirely anyway!

That's it. I'm done with modified Stoecklers

It's a developer dear. I thought it would suit me. Iron out my sloppiness and all that. Only it's made things a lot worse. Terrible results . Developed a film today at the right temp. Right agitation and all that stuff yet I only managed to salvage two frames from the film. This is one of them.

Mr Coelyne was right - as he usually is; stick to what you know. Rodinal

Windy day

There he is - drinking our tea, eating our biscuits and breathing our share of air whilst rearranging his moostetasche. Mr Windy came back on his almost modern velocipede with Eve from Stornoway. Twas lovely to have a visit. He had two biscuits. That's the sort of man he is!

Island Rocket

The islands have already been in the media with Rockets when the Rocket Post film took the world or at least Swindon by a storm. It's about a rocket and the post it didn't carry. Most notable moment in the film is the appearance of The Artist formerly known as Jon Macleod as a submarine commander looking dapper in his long leather coat. It's worth watching the film just for that moment.  [and while you about it, look for An Lanntair supremo Roddy Murray in the wonderful film Local Hero playing in the ceilidh band - a rather smaller part than his former band-mate Peter Capaldi who played one of the leading parts.].

I was out strolling in the sunshine when I came upon Tolsta's own rocket testing area. I pointed the Kiev 60 at it and shot before I changed my mind. I'm glad I didn't.

No doubt some poor unsuspecting sheeps will be the first being in space from this village.

I have been wondering

Have you noticed the snaps I have been posting? Possibly not. Ah well, I'm enjoying myself anyway.

Small cameras seem to have taken over my 'work' of late - mainly due to the cost of the film. But, I do have some cheap Chinese roll film stashed away and some 5x7 of the same ilk and, I could use plates or paper too. I just don't seem to get round to it. Which is a pity since I like those types of snaps - the sort with 'flaws' and what have you. The sort that ooze difference. That sort of thing. Ooh, I could use a pinhole camera. I could.

But to keep this going, I have here a Holga snap - taken in Edinburgh, Scotland - where else?

It's Sunday and the sun is shining.

It's all good [ish[. Brit Ian Stannard won the fist of the Semi classic bike races of the season yesterday. Bout time too - lovely chap and great strong bike rider. Elsewhere the world has gone mad.

The Aurora was great the other night and no, I have no snaps of it. Have a look on the interweb - there's plenty on there.

I have this little snap for you showing the delights of Edinburgh and the roads. Well, this road anyway.

So what camera did you use to take that then?

I can take crappy snaps. In fact I make a point of it. It's not easy you know - keeping down the standards and everything. Especially when the cameras I use are working properly and of a quality. For their age.

But since I was assisting Toots Wilson on his 'Edge' project - 21 years in the making - I took with me the Pentax P&S 'camera Espio 170SL to be precise. It does work as it happens. Is a bit 'something' at full extension but it's small and fits in my pocket and can be whipped out in a trice and shot one-handed  when required - mainly because there are few controls. I like that. Only thing is, sometimes the snaps aint half-good. Or bad.