I didn't tell you I was going to make two posts today did I?

It's because of Henrietta Cartier Bresson, the cat. No I have no snaps of her yet. We don't know each other that well yet. I took it upon myself to appoint a physician for her this morning. HCB will have a full-check up in the morrow then she will be able to check out the policies so to speak. She sits contently to my left on the settee in the Summer Parlour acutely aware of any moves I make towards her food dish. I think that's what one calls love isn't it?

Before you read any further  I implore you to go to this site, turn on your speakers, point to a title of a track and listen to the superb sound - it's Jean-Pierre Almy, an old pal of mine playing the, the stringy thing whilst the lady sings wonderfully. You can enjoy the sounds while you gaze lovingly here.

The pinhole camera had an outing recently. I still find it amazing how much information you can squeeze through a small hole. I managed a whole house! Having said that, there is a slight flaw in my ingenious shutter design incorporating a packet of fruit pastels - in that it seems to let the light in when it shouldn't. Apart from that it's brilliant. I shall try the chocolate box - I shall just have to consume the chocs first!

Nearly all this huge housey managed to squeeze through the hole in the camera front!

And The Crofter having his cup of tea made it through too.

So there we have it!

There you are; a couple of quick and dirty cyanotypes printed without further ado [or safety net] at the Barvas Craft Workshops last Saturday. I mentioned this before but had such a fine time and now the paper has dried on these I'd thought I use the excuse to post them. This first image [not snap] is by The Coelynes from a d*g*tal camera and neg [excuse me a moment while I wash my mouth out with soap and water]. Coelyne of the Coelynes dunked the print into some tannin juice I had lurking nearby hence the tone. Nice eh? Of course, it's Mcleod's stone - and I would never be caught taking a snap of such a place [I'd do it quietly on my own when I wasn't looking].

Now, this monstrosity is my creation from some 'stuff' Coelyne of the Coelynes left lying about. I rather liked it so it joined the other print in the tannin juice.
Thanks to all for putting the event on - great fun.

BTW: If you like reading proper things and everything, and don't mind a bit of barking mad then visit Mrs Up Yours' new blog - Unbound. It surely should have been Unhinged I'm sure but there you are. Have a Look NOW

Barefoot in Barvas

Yeay! I met the lovely Barefoot Crofter whilst sloshing blue water round the vicinity of my display table over at Barvas and Brue Community Centre Craft Workshop/Fayre. It's so nice to meet fellow bloggers and islanders. That's really the only reason to do a demo at all - just another excuse to have a blether!

Some really great 'stuff' out there. I mean - extreme knitting?????? Yoghurt weaving or something? I know I made that last one up but it only a matter of time before that turns up at such an event.
 Coelyne of the Coelynes came along to lend a hand and supply the lovely well-crafted fine-art images that the Oiseval Gallery is well known for. Although these were of the cyanotype type!

Looks like the PM has been down on the beach 'pier', leaving his tag along with that of his muse or someone. And yes, that is rain-drops on the lens. It doesn't rain often [in one day] but it did catch me out this day on the peir.

It didn't wash the little lump of dried toothpaste off my nose though - which I then must have paraded around the village and elsewhere until I went to the bathroom later ! Why does no-one tell you such a thing?? Eh?

I know I am grimacing. I know it doesn't suit me at all - any more than that toothpaste on the tip of my nose does!!

I blame it on Coelyne of the Coelynes

Yesterday, over at the Oiseval Gallery where Coelyne of the Coelynes hangs out, he chided me to 'express myself using the Hasselblad' or some such nonsense like that. So I took him at his word, loaded some suitably out of date and well matured Ilford FP4 into the old Hassie and set off down to the beach hereabouts.

Twas lovely I have to admit - even though a little rain came and dampened me a little. And the climb back up nearly killed me - so much so I popped over to Bac Pharmacy to see if my blood pressure was still on the scale. It was as it happens. Only not so low as it could be. Must be all the pressure of taking a landscape type portrait that did it.

That's this century's landscape done then!

For Coelyne of the Coelynes

See, two specialed-up snaps especially for the Coelyne of the Coelynes. Henerietta Cartier-Bresson asked me to post these. Seems like she is in charge round here now!

No, I don't know what they are - or even if they are the right way up, or down for that matter. Who cares? Nice sploges and everything, made with love and care. Selected especially for my co-cyanotyper and everything.

Just as well Coelyne of the Coelyne does not actually read this stuff. I caught him only looking at the snaps yesterday and not ploughing his way through this carefully composed trollop. :-)

Crafting at Barvas

If I can find this print, I might just have it on show at the Barvas and Brue Community Crafty thing this Sat - over at Barvas and Brue Community Centre. Tis a lovely place with lots going on all through the year - even singing and dancing for goodness sakes!

Many apologies, it's me. Looking all,,,, all,,, something. And everything. The print is a cyanotype and myself and Coelyne of the Coelynes will be demonstrating how two disparate types of print-makers can make a mess of the affair in two totally different ways!

I have also produced a couple of glass-plates taken yesterday which, given a fair wind and some positive vibes, I will attempt to transpose into a cyanotype print before your very eyes - without even a safety net [sits back and waits for applause]. Mind you, you might have to watch for a while as the old glass plates [Ilford R25 if you really want to know] are a bit dense and messy to boot. Perhaps I should have emailed Ilford to complain since they are only about 30 years out of date.

Yes, it's me again. I mean, who else can you get a short notice to sit nearly still in front of Toot's 4x5? Eh? And I don't come cheap either! Actually, I moved purposely so you can't see how much I have aged between shots - about 10 mins apart. :-)

Apparently, it all starts at 2pm.

I make no apologies

The sun is shining and if you think I'm going to spend precious hours thinking of something snappy to say here, you are going to wait a long time today.

In the meantime, two snaps in homage to Andre Kertesz.

Reminder

That last snap reminds me of this place - The Somerset Levels. Me elder skin and blister lives there and Mum used to.

See, I used to be able to make a nice snap. I may be able to again one day :-(

Over Cromor way. Nearly.

Took ourselves off to see William and Gemma over at the wonderful village of Cromor. The sun was shining again so we took a little detour round the area. Not that there are many options. This is the road. Nice innit?
I snook around with the Ilford Sporti camera with HP5, sloshed it in Rodinal 1:100 for a while and here we have it.

BTW: the sun is still shining :-)

That'll learn you!

I might be back but Mrs 'Up Yours' might well be joining the sphere of blogging. Now, if you think this is gentle madness............ I shall keep you up dated as it were.

Now, this cheerfull chappie, who, as it happens lives down the road near the sheeps of The Crofter [in a house and everything - unlike the sheeps] had been spraying the next door hoosey with gravel or something. Sort of making it more cosy I suppose. Certainly it looks nicer but this snap caught The Worker* not smiling - for the fiirst time ever.[*Yes, I do know his name but not how to spell it!]. The Worker was in a dilemma [A bit like a Cortina but with less panache] as to whether to really smile, grimace or merely 'be'. You can make your mind up what he chose. I miss his cheery demeanour outside now.

Back with more gentle madness

Been away. With the fairies a bit, in England a bit and now, at last I am back with access to the pooterland.
I missed saying stuff. There are piles of negs here so be warned!

In the meantime, enjoy this portrait of a loch from a recent stroll with the Smitlings.

A path to the cemetery

If one pops over the road from here, down onto croft number 10, go down the field and you'll come across this. A lovely path that courts the land between the top of the crofts and their bottoms. It passes down the way towards the long beach to the village cemetery. Only there's a road down to the cemetery now from further up the village and this path sees little use - bar a few animals and Clocks who passes this way from time to time. And me.

Where is this, eh?

It's a door. A nice door. An old door too. With a supermarket trolley outside. In Stornoway. I ask you? In Stornoway?

Mr Toots showed me it. I'd seen it before as it happens but missed the huge bell that hangs on the wall just above. Twas for to bring the childlings into the school - when it was a school - or something like that.

You didn't think I'd resist did you?

I can hardly ever resist taking a portrait of this place - it lies just down the road a few moments stroll from where I sit tapping out this. Nice isn't it eh? Apart from over Skye way I can't recall a place like it. [ Just in case you look at the link, it is, I know a tad bigger on Skye - and of different rock etc - so Eve tells me . Typical; make one obvious link and you get ten reasons why it's different. It really doesn't matter. Trust me].

Obviously, I've hardly been anywhere so it doesn't count for much.

The Hasselblad was with me - but no tripod so I hand-held it and used a bigger aperture than one might on such an occasion  A bigger aperture than Toots would have used anyway. He's Mr f64 if only he had an aperture that small on his beloved Isolette.

I don't know why I bother. Honestly!

No, I didn't drink

Actually I did. Coffee to start with - with my cornflakes and soya milk then a green tea chaser. Maybe it all went to my elbows and my old Mum used to say. Looks like it anyway. I was trying for ART. You know, things you hang on the wall and look at - more than once.

Eve & I went to the Modern Art Gallery in Edinburgh once. Just the once though the cafe was excellent. All fresh, raw salads and things, fair-trade water and a view. Inside the gallery was a sheeps in smelly stuff to preserve it. Poor thing, what had it done to deserve that. Upset Damien Hirst obviously.

I loved Sir Eduardo Paoliozzi's studio that is situated in one of the buildings. I could play in that for ages. I need a studio here in the village really. Just a small one - with a view.


BTW; Just so you understand, these are NOT landscapes, they are portraits of places. Now you know!

I learnt something..

See that? That's a wall in Stornoway. Not any old wall mind you. 

I was recently out in Stornoway with Mr Toots Wilson, ex-something planning in the council before he retired. Knows a thing or two about buildings and passed a little of his vast knowledge to me on this day. This wall is not any old wall, it bounds one side of Barvas House - I think it's called that. May have heard it wrong but it is a house, that's definite. The wall was made in four parts - obvious because of the lines one can see where the shuttering was. The stones within were from a beach and, apparently, twas one of the first concrete things on the island - or something like that anyway. They love concrete up here. It's everywhere - even poured concrete house ornamentation. Eh? And bus shelters. Bus shelters made of concrete that will still be there long after humans have all left this planet one way or another.

I'm trying to please.

It is another snap from my stroll on the beach a few days ago. What do you expect? Something new! Eh?
Anyway, the Perkeo was on a roll by now. Capturing the essence of the place with abandon- although not always with accuracy. The was both accurate and abandoned. Perhaps not abandoned actually. I could hear the grazing committee dialling my house as I wrote that - so I'll retract it. Immediately.

Although having said that, there are a few crofts that don't seem to get much use these days. Not even a sheeps on them.

There was an eagle that looked somewhat golden, behind my right ear

That's better. Proper winter's day on the beach just over there [pointing uselessly to my left]. The sun was shining yesterday don't you know.

We exchanged pleasantries at the shoppe as we bought our 'things'. Lots of lovelies there that morning going out now one can stand upright and not have to hold onto something to prevent an unexpected swim in the sea.

Yes, I told you before that I walked here. Just over there [again pointing in a totally useless way at the screen but feeling better for it] along the top of the dunes after strolling down there [pointing etc....] on the way up the sand. Then I espied an eagle soaring up on the breeze, looking for rabbits no doubt for a nice furry breakfast. Golden hues glinting in the sun. I turned as it was time to shoot a shot with the Perkeo and the eagle flew just behind my right ear. Not literally you understand! What do you take me for ? A Mad woman?

Don't answer that.

Yes, well. It does look like that doesn't it?

The storm has gone. The bits around the island are being put back in place and the day dawned lovely. The Barking dog came out for a stroll on Traigh Mhor as the waves taunted us. I pointed the Voigtlander Perkeo at this and that. This is what it saw - apparently.

I didn't see this but hey, what do I know?

I looks nice all the same.

No, I didn't go in

I never go in, not there anyway. Being the better class of snob that I am, one can't been seen going in such places. Can one?

I like these sort of snaps. And I'm not alone. I've seen other such images - harsh black and white that shows how it really is. Or something.

There's plenty of such images out there but you'll have to find them yourself today. The wind has gone out of my sails..