Reunion

An old friend organised an office reunion yesterday. (My stint '71-78). Not exactly looking forward to it as I thought, correctly as it turned out, that I wouldn't be able to put names to all the faces. Turned out to be quite a good night despite the mild embarrassment. Got into town early and walked out from Dean village up the Water of Leith to Costorphine.  I had a shot in mind but I got lost in the dead-ends of Rothesay Mews and missed it altogether. C'est la vie. The rest of the walk below: 

No pedalling, but quite happy.

Time and Grey

Started off the day, after porridge of course, reading a message from a friend, who, desperate to escape the greyness of the east coast, announced he was off to the northwest to find sun and warmth - weird, it normally is wet and grey up there. Unable to escape the murk with an invalid to pamper, I decided to do something other than read and nurse a laptop to keep me warm. So, explore lines. Try some linear stuff with very few curves.

Soften with a little foliage

Go Techno

But what's happening? Dryness, sunshine! The imperative of survival masquerading as aerobic exercise rears it's ugly head. Must take the bike out and raise the heart rate for a while. But it only takes about 200 metres to find a reason to stop - oval lines.

Six miles further on there's a secret hillside  with diagonal lines and the sun low enough to highlight the ridges. 

The result is a teensy bit boring but there's an arty-farty option called 'posterise' in the software.

Another four miles, on the way home, there's a stone watercourse that I've only been been putting off looking at closely for 24 years. Some old signs - Scottish Water - and rusting pipes and pumps suggest . . . what? No sign of storage tanks. Must go back in a few years and look again.

Industrial waterfall

Close up . . . 

 . . .  and a coloured burble of a ripple.

Finally, cobblestones in the bed of the waterway throwing up excited drops of water

Back to pedaling for happiness.

Campervan Experience

We've been trying to make up our minds - whether buying a camparvan is a good idea or not - for what seems like ten years or so. Now we've reached that point in life where it's feasible without having to go without food or the other essentials of life - computers, beer, running shoes, friends, art, climbing shoes, bicycles, books, chocolate.

Being by nature an inveterate sampler of life and hobbies, I'm slightly worried that after six months the fad will have run its course and there will be an expensive mini-elephant in the driveway.

Picked up the van in Bankfoot and then set off up Glenshee - coffee in the cafe at the ski centre was a shock. Mainly because I was still wearing the unseasonal heatwave shorts and the wind was more than nippy. Off then to Ballater for a couple of day with the sun still hanging about. Below is the bedmobile we hired.

The campsite in Ballater is next to the river with pink granite bridge two minutes walk away. This let me potter about with aperture and exposure while Irene got into the first of three books.

Pink I

  Pink II

  Pink III

With the weather gradually getting cooler we upped dipstick and set off for Banchory, a pleasant place in sunny weather . . . After a night with the heater on intermittently and a shivery odyssey to the loo through the deepening snow, the morning revealed two forlorn bikes having a tête-à-tête. Time to bale out. [Do you prefer 'bale' to 'bail'. Apparently the americans tend to go for 'bail' along with 'out' generally, so that's a good reason to opt for 'bale'. Vive la difference!]

Home via St Cyrus beach which is fabulous, although a bit windswept to say the least. The sand was shifting at a fair rate.

Artistic wood caught my eye and after four attempts to frame it, this one turned out the to be the best. Meanwhile Irene is getting hypothermia.

Twelve attempts to capture waves finally signaled that it was time to head home, dump the van on the way and look forward to an arctic house - cos it was summer when we left and all the heating was turned off.

Three hours of removing spots from the images has convinced me that taking pictures while spots of rain and sticky sand is flying is almost not worth the effort. Coupled with trying to take pictures at f20 or higher (which shows up the smears on the sensor) means I must get sensor cleaned and get a cloth to wipe the glass.

Pedal for Happiness (or alternatively take a campervan with a heater)