Trickle and Thrum

1/365 another year, another new year brunch

2011-01-02T17:56:00.001Z

1/365 another year, another new year brunch, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I keep taking photos like this and obviously that means I'm having more fried breakfasts than I should. So a little resolution for myself in 2011. Find at least a few food subjects that are not only good to look at, but good for the body too!

mixed boilings

2010-12-07T22:10:00.001Z

mixed boilings, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I'm not a big fan of boilings I must admit
I guess because I still have teeth
And like toffees I have a habit of biting them
Until only the dentist can give relief

Chocolate is best or soft ice-cream
Those are the treats I'd safely choose
But the colours and patterns make me smile
The swirls, the lines and the hues

So I may not eat them all that much
And pass when an offer comes my way
But if I have a camera handy, well,
They make a sweet photo of the day

"Climate Elephant" by Daniel Dancer -- New Delhi, India

2010-11-28T12:02:00.001Z

"Climate Elephant" by Daniel Dancer -- New Delhi, India, originally uploaded by 350.org.

One of a series of art events around the world, staged to highlight how huge the issue of climate change is to us all

clyde markers

2010-06-13T20:03:00.001Z

clyde markers, originally uploaded by werewegian.

navigation aids near Port Glasgow on the Clyde river. Enjoyed a walk about here this afternoon. First time since April I've felt warm enough to wear just a t-shirt and trousers. Port Glasgow itself seems caught in a time-warp, with many buildings harking back to the mid-20th century. Made a mental note to revisit on a Saturday next time as only the pubs and churches were open on a Sunday. Perhaps the Port remains less heathen than the rest of the West of Scotland?

boudicca

2010-06-06T17:29:00.001Z

boudicca, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Fred Olsen cruse liner Boudicca setting sail from Greenock on her way to the Canary Isles and North Africa

buttercup

2010-06-05T21:44:00.001Z

buttercup, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I've been taking too many photos of flowers recently. In my defence I have been shooting completely in manual so a flower is a good way to work on those focusing controls :)

daisy

2010-06-01T23:36:00.002Z

daisy, originally uploaded by werewegian.

snapped on the way back from the pub with the wee Olympus

gorse

2010-05-26T20:48:00.001Z

gorse, originally uploaded by werewegian.

bright yet spiny gorse in Argyll, Scotland

victorian splendour

2010-05-06T17:42:00.001Z

victorian splendour, originally uploaded by werewegian.

A must see for any photographer visiting the West of Scotland is the victorian railway station at Wemyss Bay.

From here the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry takes you to Rothesay on the isle of Bute. I don't remember seeing this as a child. We often went to Millport via Largs on day trips but not here. Too expensive perhaps?

blue tit

2010-05-05T22:44:00.001Z

blue tit, originally uploaded by werewegian.

one of several blue tits and robins that have started to visit our feeder at the trailer in Gourock

grand princess

2010-04-19T05:37:00.001Z

grand princess, originally uploaded by werewegian.

early rise for me to see the Grand Princess arrive at the Clyde basin en route for Greenock a few miles up river. A gloomy morning for those on board but with the volcanic dust cloud from Iceland grounding all flights at least these US visitors are arriving in Northern Europe

a personal question

2010-04-17T21:21:00.001Z

a personal question, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Banner above the former Third Eye centre in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

keyhole cichlid

2010-03-18T22:42:00.002Z

keyhole cichlid, originally uploaded by werewegian.

So I'm back with fish-keeping as a hobby. Alan and I began keeping fish in the 1980s and at one time had five tanks on the go before giving it up when we moved to our present house nine years ago. This new aquarium is only two weeks old so conditions are not yet ideal. Hopefully I'm not falling into the "run before I can walk" syndrome.

This is a Keyhole Cichlid, a fish I successfully bred a long time back. Others in the tank so far - leopard danios, harlequins and x-ray tetras. It's a big tank so there is scope for many more. I just have to remember to take my time with that.

spring trumpets

2010-03-14T23:05:00.003Z

spring trumpets, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Photographed these lovely crocuses in Victoria Park today. I work completely on manual and it paid off :)

sunshine crocuses, originally uploaded by werewegian.

spring sparklers, originally uploaded by werewegian.

snowdrops

2010-02-28T17:59:00.001Z

snowdrops, originally uploaded by werewegian.

after the fiasco of two weeks ago where I took photos of snowdrops while stooping and wondering if I should lie down, and then found myself falling anyway and spraining my ankle, I was determined today to lay flat with the camera. Well worth it for the improved angle at least. :)

little star

2010-02-27T17:56:00.001Z

little star, originally uploaded by werewegian.

cheerful bush daisy (euryops) flower in the Kibble Palace hothouse, Glasgow on a grey, rainy Saturday

peebles in winter

2010-02-20T22:19:00.002Z

peebles in winter, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Had a lovely walk beside the River Tweed in Peebles today. The weather was sunny if frosty but the roads were clear. It's a pity I busted my ankle last weekend photographing snowdrops, because we could have done a much longer walkabout.

I'm quite pleased with this shot. I was worried the half-fallen tree was too central but for once maybe that works. :)

snow in springfield

2010-02-04T00:44:00.001Z

snow in springfield, originally uploaded by werewegian.

The snow is back in Cowcaddens. Should I be pleased? Not sure about that. Last year I yearned for snow but now, well it can be attractive, but when you're working not so much fun.

don't mess with the were

2010-02-02T23:52:00.001Z

don't mess with the were, originally uploaded by werewegian.

he wears a vest because he's a hard-man, not to keep warm under his shirt

I've been told I have a fierce look but really I'm mostly a pussy cat. Helpful, polite, and will attempt to reconcile differences between people rather than pour fuel on any fire.

I can lose my temper, especially with the other Alan, and sometimes at work but really I can also take a lot of pressure before I crack.

I don't have a lot of patience however, a trait my dad also had. So waiting is not my thing. I'd rather get going on a project than talk about it endlessly. And I'll always opt to divert a journey and go somewhere else than wait in a traffic jam.

So this look I guess is atypical. But I don't call myself werewegian for nothing either. ;)

sheet music

2010-02-02T00:28:00.001Z

sheet music, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I'm beginning to think I should concentrate more on camera tosses than mainstream photography. Really I should approach a few galleries with some prints and see what they think. I'm not saying it's high art but some have a certain charm. Or perhaps I'm just dreaming?

goodbye to love

2010-01-31T23:34:00.001Z

goodbye to love, originally uploaded by werewegian.

a discarded heart left to hang on the branch of a tree

I'll say goodbye to love
No one ever cared if I should live or die
Time and time again the chance for love
has passed me by
And all I know of love
is how to live without it
I just can't seem to find it.

So I've made my mind up I must live
my life alone
And though it's not the easy way
I guess I've always known
I'd say goodbye to love.

There are no tomorrows for this heart of mine

J Bettis/R Carpenter

I've listened to too much Carpenters this weekend - it's made me sad. Need to get out the happier music for next week. :)

eglinton robin

2010-01-31T01:41:00.001Z

eglinton robin, originally uploaded by werewegian.

A bit of a lucky shot this. I spied it as Alan and I were noisily walking by. I think it stopped still, hoping I couldn't see it. Two and three photos and bang, it was gone.

This was taken in Eglinton Country Park, near Kilwinning. Nice walks about there. Cold but bright day so we didn't loiter. Still I took some photos of the castle ruins and the grounds. We also spotted an eagle which flew straight across in front of the car on the way there. Sadly no camera in my hand at that point.

rough and rolled

2010-01-30T01:00:00.001Z

rough and rolled, originally uploaded by werewegian.

We're being decorated at the moment, or at least our living room and hallway is. The decorator is doing a great job. In fact the place is going to look so good I'm afraid we'll be completely the wrong people to stay here.

Anyway this roll of sandpaper caught my eye tonight as a potential subject for a photograph. This has turned out quite well I think. I like the way the focus has picked out different parts of the roll.

Despite that I absolutely hate sandpaper. Along with fibre-glass I can't bear to touch it - something about the texture freaks me out.

Still I needed a photograph so played around with the roll to get the angle and shapes I wanted. Making me feel icky however. Think I'll go wash my hands again.

torn flag

2010-01-28T23:42:00.001Z

torn flag, originally uploaded by werewegian.

glass and bokeh. what more could you want. :)

honey i'm home

2010-01-27T00:08:00.002Z

honey i'm home, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Having fun shooting a film noir still here. I bought this hat at the weekend in a charity shop on Duke Street. It might be a little small for me but I like it anyway.

I like hats. And suits and ties. None of which are in vogue in the business world at the moment. It's all designer casual wear, and jeans on Friday. Shame really. I'd love to inhabit a world where everyone wore a hat and not just baseball caps. There are signs that the young are more inclined towards hats. And facial hair. Sadly they are also inclined to be skinny with it. Oh well, there's always Madmen.

haggis

2010-01-26T13:00:00.002Z

haggis, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I love haggis but rarely eat it as the other Alan can't stand it. Here it's served with the traditional neeps and tatties.

I don't remember having it too often as a child although my Dad did like it, us kids rarely had more than a taste. As an adult I've enjoyed it in the traditional form as well as the more accessible versions - tinned, in slices and even deep-fried from the chip shop. "Posh" restaurants even do their haggis version of chicken kiev, called the Chicken Balmoral.

I had sliced haggis last night which was nice. This is my photograph of the more traditional from Burns Night, 2008, as featured on yesterday's Flickr blog.

http://blog.flickr.net/en/2010/01/25/address-to-a-haggis/

the gaul

2010-01-24T23:29:00.001Z

the gaul, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Detail from The Gaul, a bronze by François Rude, a version of the heroic fighter carved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The bronze dates from around 1835 and is displayed in the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow

I like visiting the Kelvingrove Museum. It's a gorgeous building for a start, red sandstone with turrets and towers. Very grand.

It also has an interesting collection of objects, well worth repeated visits. And a nice place to hold a Flickr meetup on a cold January day. I've beginning to warm to the idea of attending meets more regularly. I should be a little more patient when herding them for coffee however. :)

a new world order

2010-01-24T00:12:00.001Z

a new world order, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Despite the occasional splash of colour there is something sad about Springburn Park in Glasgow. The once proud glasshouse is a derelict wreck, the Fairy garden long gone. Even the boating pond no longer has boats. There are efforts to keep it tidy at least but there is also a reputation for trouble, drunkeness, drug-taking. Something which most open spaces in the city share. Not what the patrons who built these green places had envisaged. But what can be done where so many lives are lived without hope for a better future?

veil of history

2010-01-23T01:29:00.001Z

veil of history, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Love the architecture of this building especially when lit at night. An added bonus here with a suggestion of fog.

The inside is pretty cool too - a huge reference library that I used often as a student.

There is a wealth of Glasgow information including workhouse accounts, burial records, census data, local newspapers all the way back to the 18th century and old parish registers. Some of my family tree research was carried out here although Register House in Edinburgh is the main source of that.

Still, Register House doesn't look as grand on the outside as the Mitchell library does. :)

not a happy camper

2010-01-21T23:54:00.001Z

not a happy camper, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Guess I look a little rough here although I'm not really as unhappy and stressed as this. I was unwell all last week - perhaps I'm not completely recovered. Still I should get the hair cut, beard trimmed and try and do something with my skin. Less sweeties and beer, more exercise, fruit and water. And sleep. More sleep.

locket

2010-01-20T23:56:00.002Z

locket, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Yes tossing the camera again, not in anger but for art (of sorts). I began doing this about five years ago and while I'd never abuse an expensive camera like this, I am risking this wee point & shoot with each shot.

The camera I used for tosses until recently took many knocks before finally refusing to function any more. This one so far has been lucky.

This is a shot of multiple shop, pub and restaurant fronts in Sauchiehall Street. A favourite source of mine.

For more see my camera toss set on Flickr.

angel of the north

2010-01-20T00:42:00.001Z

angel of the north, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I've missed my Polaroid. I only got one a few years ago and took to it heartily. So when the film was discontinued, I was dismayed.

However according to The Impossible Project, new black & white film will be available this year with colour to follow shortly after. There's even rumours that Lady Gaga is on board as the new face of Polaroid which only can be good news for marketing the products and widening its appeal.

These two polaroids are of the Angel of The North, a huge statue by Antony Gormley at Gateshead, northern England. Taken in December 2007.

bridge diamond

2010-01-17T23:51:00.001Z

bridge diamond, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Went on a Flickr meet along the Broomielaw this morning and had a light lunch in Caffe Nero afterwards. Not great photos from me, I always shoot best on my own but I did take a few lomo shots of the group so hopefully those will turn out.

This is the northern arch of the old suspension pedestrian bridge over the Clyde. A favourite bridge I keep returning to. :)

please sir

2010-01-16T23:01:00.001Z

please sir, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Grey squirrels, like this one, while quick and easily spooked are fairly easy to get close-ups of in the city, if you have a packet of nuts of course.

Red squirrels are the opposite, extremely shy and only glimpsed in rural woodland. I've only seen one twice in all of the years Alan and I have gone walking through the countryside, although we are hardly quiet so maybe that's not surprising.

Still hopefully now that I have more skills and better equipment, it's something I should attempt. We'll see what the spring and summer brings.

lammington

2010-01-15T23:54:00.001Z

lammington, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I love cakes especially those with sponge, jam and coconut like this Lammington. I don't remember them being called that as a child however. Eiffel towers are similar and also a favourite when I was young.

Of course there is no nutritional benefit to cakes and biscuits, they are all bad.

Still a little bit of what you fancy does you good, eh?

night in dundasvale

2010-01-14T23:10:00.001Z

night in dundasvale, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Night view from my window. It looks strangely like a model with the clean snow and new lights.

I miss the trees which were removed last year - possibly they were causing problems with the roof of the car park below - certainly there were drainage issues with the leaves. Shame not to see them in the snow again.

This is another lomo fisheye photo. Not bad considering I had to hold it steady and depress the shutter release just long enough without overexposing it. A fluke perhaps but cool result anyway. :)

squinting

2010-01-13T23:58:00.002Z

squinting, originally uploaded by werewegian.

There are a number of reasons why I've taken to photography but the main one is that I'm a loner. I'm not one for crowds or loud parties or taking part in sports. I observe, mostly on my own.

I'm organising a few photography meet-ups at the moment, partly to try and break this behaviour, but whenever I go to any meeting, there's always a part of me that hopes no-one turns up, or if they do, that they go away again soon. I don't dislike people, I just find it a strain to connect with them. Sometimes I relax and have a good time in spite of these problems. Sometimes I don't.

Which is why I'm here in this picture waving to myself, taking the shot with a toy camera while trying to keep warm in freezing temperatures and trying to keep my footing on black ice. On my own. Squinting at my shadow on the squinty bridge.

fish pie

2010-01-12T23:46:00.001Z

fish pie, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Alan is most definitely the cook of this house. I can do a bit of cooking but Alan can tackle multiple items well, which frankly I can't. Which explains why stir-fry is my best dish.

This fish pie has salmon and haddock, and cheese topped with mashed potato. it has other things but I'm not sure what (at this very moment). I know I went to the local shop for the carrots. :)

This camera and the 50mm lens is so good at taking photos with selective focus like this. Just as well since with food I have about one minute to shoot before hunger gets the better of me.

my new best friend

2010-01-11T23:34:00.001Z

my new best friend, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Until the new polaroid film (exciting news at last) becomes widely available, this toy 35mm camera, lomography's Fisheye 2, is likely to be my very best friend. :)

I'm drawn to cameras of this type - I guess because I'm not too technical with digital camera work, it's trial and error most of the time.

With fewer controls, toy cameras are easier to get the knack of, and can produce interesting results if you pay attention to conditions. There is also an element of luck which I enjoy.

Of course there's the wait too. Especially if it takes you two weeks to complete the roll like I did with this first try.

I'm really pleased with this new friendship. Let's hope it becomes a life-long love. :)

university in winter

2010-01-10T22:58:00.001Z

university in winter, originally uploaded by werewegian.

The tower of University of Glasgow, as seen from the east quadrangle

I love this place but when I visited a year or two back I suddenly realised I hadn't been there for twenty years or more. I was a student here but never finished my MA degree. I was too young and immature, a fresher at 17 straight from school. My elder brother did complete his Divinity degree here so the family name wasn't tarnished forever.

I guess I would finish my degree if I got another chance but enjoy working for a living too so only coming into some serious money would make that likely to happen.

Still I can visit and remember those times with fondness.

tree of the dead

2010-01-09T23:29:00.002Z

tree of the dead, originally uploaded by werewegian.

tree in the grounds of St Kentigern cemetery in Glasgow

Cold and lovely, we visited this graveyard in Cadder today not just to take photographs but to look for the lair of James Doyle, an ancestor who was buried there in 1894. We think we found the grave but there were other Doyles with Hendersons. We'll have to research if they are related, possibly to James' sister Mary.

This tree looks as if its own life has ended. Strange but beautiful.

relative time

2010-01-08T23:33:00.001Z

relative time, originally uploaded by werewegian.

This watch with a caricature of Albert Einstein by Steven Cragg, was a Christmas present given to me by Alan in the early 90s. It was made by Largely Literary Designs, Inc - no longer in production I think.

I don't wear a watch any more even when I'm getting dressed up. (I'm wearing this one solely for the photograph)

I spent too many years commuting, fretting every time the train or bus was 10 minutes late, checking my watch twenty times every journey. In the end I decided it didn't matter how long it took to go from A to B by public transport, you arrive at your destination at the same time whether you know how long the journey takes or not.

If I must know the time, of course, I can check my phone so I'm unlikely to be late for a precisely timed meeting. But like this watch I prefer to make arrangements on a more casual basis. Dinner at 7ish sounds fine to me. :)

clyde fragment

2010-01-07T23:29:00.002Z

clyde fragment, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Fragment of ceramic found on the shore by Alan while I was photographing the Clyde at Port Glasgow earlier in the week. Not sure what it's from or even if it's all that old, but an interesting item to add to the occasional table

One of the subjects I studied at University was Archaeology, although I was never that mad for studying fragments of the past. Stone circles, ancient temples, the places where historical events occurred fired my interest. Perhaps I was more a student of history than a discoverer of the minutiae of daily life, who knows?

Still I'm intrigued by this fragment. Prince D.L & Co reads the stamp. Tile? Toilet bowl? :)

Since posting I've been sent a link that suggests this was made by David Lockhart and Sons of Pollockshaws.

National Museums of Scotland

directors bitter

2010-01-06T23:57:00.001Z

directors bitter, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I've been drinking real ale for about 8 years and the State Bar just off Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street is currently my local. It's a bit further than the nearest bars to our flat but has finer beer, a friendlier atmosphere and staff and, let's face it, a better class of drinker. There are usually about eight real ales on tap, so I'm always spoiled for choice. Alan usually has the John Smith's. I can recommend the bar, some of you ex-pats might remember it as His Nibs. Cheers!

clyde humps

2010-01-05T23:50:00.002Z

clyde humps, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Dumbarton rock and castle with Ben Lomond in snowy coat in the distance. I've never climbed Ben Lomond but I have climbed Dumbarton Rock. The stairs fair kill you. I know which one I would rather have gone up. :)

I'm hoping to work harder at photography this year. In 2009 I learned a lot from taking part in a photo a day group on Flickr. However because it was a new photo every day, it meant constantly moving on to the next subject.

This year, amongst other projects, I'm committed to producing seven images over seven days. This gives me the opportunity and incentive to work on photos that didn't instantly become the photo of the day but from which I can still develop an interesting and pleasing result. This hopefully is one of those.

bascule bridge

2010-01-04T22:13:00.001Z

bascule bridge, originally uploaded by werewegian.

This is a largely redundant bascule bridge on the Port Dundas spur of the Forth & Clyde canal.

Canals such as this one feature quite a bit in my photography - both Alan and I share an interest in these relics of the industrial past of Britain.

I've walked quite a bit along the towpath of the Forth & Clyde. The biggest stretches we've done are from Falkirk to Kirkintilloch which passes the Falkirk Wheel, from Port Dundas to Bowling on the Clyde, and from Kirkintilloch to Port Dundas. In fact the only part left to do is from Falkirk to the sea gates on the Forth. A new park is being developed there so perhaps we'll get round to it this year. It will be nice to finish the walk off.

clydeside blues

2010-01-03T22:10:00.001Z

clydeside blues, originally uploaded by werewegian.

A clichéd view of Glasgow from the Clyde Arc bridge. Cold but cool blue sky. :)

Looking at this I'm reminded of previous generations of my family who are and were men and women of the Clyde, and wonder at the river they knew. A working river, and no doubt a dirty river, but a river teeming with industry, with humanity. Now it is beautiful, serene yet strangely sterile.

money to burns

2010-01-02T21:52:00.001Z

money to burns, originally uploaded by werewegian.

Not quite at the stage of a tenner a pint but certainly you are getting pushed to get three beers and change for that note.

A crisp Clydesdale Bank tenner celebrating the 250th anniversary of poet Robert Burns' birth in 1759. Sang "Auld Lang Syne" at new year? You've this man to thank for that. One of the World Heritage banknotes produced in Autumn 2009.

I have to admit I'm poor at managing my money. Not that I lose it or have made bad investments, or that I'm ever short, I just have a tendency to fritter it away with little concern for the future. I save but in today's financial climate it's only the debtors the banks are interested in. So it's easy come, easy go at the moment.

You could advise me to be more prudent I guess. I'd rather we wait until the day I'm down on my luck. You can buy me a pint with your £100 note and tell me "I told you so".

new year brunch

2010-01-01T22:05:00.004Z

A smaller breakfast than originally planned but that's probably a good thing. Eggs, potato scone, haggis and black pudding. I don't usually have haggis this way but it was lovely.

Anyway a new year, a second bite at a photo a day and a new chance to start blogging again.

Breakfast is an important meal of the day for me. For years I used to skip it altogether, possibly as a result of heavy smoking then, but now I don't think I could function without having something. Not that I always have a cooked breakfast. Most days it's cereal and fruit juice.

Happy new year, everyone!

free at last

2009-08-07T20:43:00.001Z

free at last, originally uploaded by werewegian.

free at last

never mind the bars. This is me in the post-work, pre-vacation zone. :)

60s night

2009-02-20T00:49:00.001Z

60s night, originally uploaded by werewegian.

I'm a child of the 60s so some of these sounds I heard when young. Most I've appreciated and collected as an adult.

reptilian

2008-11-14T21:39:00.001Z

reptilian, originally uploaded by werewegian.

something reptilian in the hothouse in the Botanic Gardens, Glasgow

kelvin power

2008-10-26T20:26:00.001Z

kelvin power, originally uploaded by werewegian.

the Kelvin was really in spate today. As glimpsed through the natural frame of the trees in Kelvingrove park

queen and entourage

2008-10-09T21:19:00.001Z

queen and entourage
Originally uploaded by werewegian

the QE2 and escort including one of Western Ferries' Gourock-Dunoon boats. On the Clyde Basin on the way to berth at Greenock for the last time before her retirement as a sea-going vessel.

wood and real ale

2008-10-08T22:55:00.001Z

wood and real ale
Originally uploaded by werewegian

One of my favourite Glasgow pubs is Tennant's Bar in Byers Road. Excellent real ale. Never had a bad pint there. Ever.

inverary

2008-08-19T06:33:00.001Z

inverary
Originally uploaded by werewegian

view of Inverary from just beyond the bridge. Lovely wee town despite the hordes of tourists (like me). :)

fortune cookies

2008-08-13T23:28:00.001Z

fortune cookies
Originally uploaded by werewegian

Fungi like wee fortune cookies. Wonder what my fortune would be if I tried one?

Seen in Victoria Park, Glasgow

Wet and Dry

2008-08-06T07:57:00.001Z

Mother and calf
Originally uploaded by ccgd

I soared through the Little Wet with the clan, my beloved son, Pskr, riding the slip-stream close by my side. The whispers of the sparkle pack were returning faster now: we were gaining on them. At the head of the hunt, my three sisters began to separate from one another, splitting the attack into three groups to encircle the prey.

I veered left after the Eldest, Stpttr, flexing the pads on my tail to give me extra speed, while encouraging my son to keep up. Tkkrh, Pskr's shadow-mother, followed directly behind us, ensuring that if the calf should slip behind, he would be in no danger.

Soon, the sparkle pack glistened before us, and like the snapping flashes of the Mother Wet's whispers in the Big Dry, their bodies caught the light from above as they twisted and turned as one in an effort to escape our pursuit. Out-swimming them we turned abruptly to herd them back towards the other members of the clan. In panic, the sparkle retreated into a tight group, like a clawed crawler hiding in its shell. On all sides the clan swam in small circles, stopping any attempt to break free. We began to feast one by one. At my turn I swam into the churning pack with Pskr, trilling to him to catch each sparkle by the head only before swallowing them. Once we had all eaten, we pulled back from the sparkle pack allowing the remaining creatures to escape.

Sated, we rested for a short while. Then, sensing the murmurs of a blind giant in the Little Wet, we swam to greet the noisy creature and to play and dance in its slip-stream. I paused at the edge of the Big Dry to watch the dry-walkers on the creature's back. Like the fearless sparkle that scurry about the mouths of larger hunters, they banded along the top side of the beast, with their hides of differing hues, some shiny, some dull.

"Mama, why doesn't the blind giant turn over and dump all those things into the wet?" Pskr grunted, nudging his snout into my side.

"I don't know, Darling." I replied. "Without the dry walkers, the giant cannot swim. I think it needs them to tell it where to go."

"In any case, " Tkkrh added, rolling her body in comic fashion and floating down towards the bottom, "once a giant turns over, it dives and never returns."

Stpttr had started a leaping contest. I watched as she swam deep then surged to the edge of the dry. Her beautiful body shone briefly, the drops on her skin reflecting the light of the Warm Eye, before she twisted and splashed back into the wet. The clan whistled their appreciation of her skill. On the giant, the dry-walkers wriggled their feelers and made their strange barking noises towards where Stpttr had leapt. Others joined the game, and soon we were all leaping and dancing. Pskr hesitated, swimming between Tkkrh and me, while we took turns to show off and brave the embrace of the Big Dry.

"Why don't you leap, little one?" I asked my calf. He nuzzled at my side but did not reply.

As we left the Little Wet, Pskr and the other youngsters pulsed with excitement to be out where no flat-dry could be seen or sensed. We had felt the call to meet for many days now and most of the shadow-mothers were eager to greet old mates or to find new ones. I, too, felt a yearning for the tender bite of a lover but mating would have to wait for another time: Pskr was too young to run with the males as yet.

The clan was soon joined by other groups. Some, like ourselves, were clan packs of mothers with young. Others were noisy bands of not-yet-fathers with comic tricks and off-key songs, who by their bravado wished to impress the females. My eldest son, Hdkr, belonged to one such band. He flipped backwards out of the wet to impress me (and possibly Tkkrh), taking care to show us the sparkle-sized nick in his upper fin, which he said had been made by a white-toothed killer. The last groups were, for me, the most interesting: vagabond gangs of mature males. I greeted Pskr's father, Sttkh, with affection, rubbing my nose along his flank, and tapping the dry's edge with my flipper. He responded in kind, and then whistling, he cut a wide circle with Pskr riding in his slip-stream.

The Warm Eye dived into the Great Wet, taking the blue of the Big Dry with her, and a pack of tiny polyps began to glow in the Black Coral that was revealed. The White Eye, not fully turned towards us yet, trailed a strand of silver sea-weed across the surface of the dry. I could feel her gentle pull as I rested with the herd, singing songs of the past to my beloved. I sang first of my mother, who had been the leader of the hunt before my sister, and then of her mother, who had been eaten by the black and white killer. I sang next of more ancient mothers, whose songs we cherished, whose dances we still saw in the motions of the wet, whose nudges we still longed for. I sang of times before the clan chose their hunting-place, when they roamed the Great Wet, basking with the great tail-splashers and running from the sharp-toothed killers. Finally I sang of the First Mother, who, drawn by the whispers of the White Eye, had crawled into the wet from the dry, forever to swim and hunt. As my sounds died away, another took up the song from the beginning, adding the memory of her own mother before repeating the clan story once more.

The Warm Eye leapt and dived, and leapt and dived again. The herd glided through the Great Wet in a slow turn, breaking into smaller packs to hunt, dance, sing or mate. As the Warm Eye pulled the blue across the Big Dry once more, the herd began to separate. Tkkrh, who had vanished for a time, returned to the clan. She rolled to show me the fresh strands of teeth-marks branding her skin along her head and torso.

"If I have a calf," she said, "will you be its shadow-mother?"

"Perhaps," I replied.

With two other clans we headed back towards the Little Wet, singing new songs of lovers we had known and of calves who had chosen to swim with the gangs.

We were racing towards the sounds of a blind giant, when the whispers of a sparkle pack distracted our attention. We slid in the direction of the prey, snapping our tails to swim faster. Pskr chose to soar by his own strength, and I whistled encouragement as he cut through the wet beside me. When the hunt split in our usual formation, I was alarmed as he veered towards the right fin-side. I quickly changed direction to follow him.

We had just encircled the sparkle when a squeal of alarm was sounded. Whispers of strangle-weed surrounded us on three sides. In the confusion I lost sight of my beloved. The prey escaped the hunt by breaking into smaller packs, clouding the wet with their glistening bodies. My senses blurred, I raced back and forth through the pack, trying to locate the sound of my calf.

Tkkrh suddenly appeared from the thrashing sparkle with my Pskr riding closely in her slip-stream. Together we dived to evade the deadly weed but the whispers told us that it was now beneath us. We surged upwards towards the dry.

"Pskr", I said," you must get ready to leap."

"But I can't," he squealed in reply. "I am afraid the Warm Eye will swallow me."

"Tkkrh and I will protect you, little one," I whistled. "The Warm Eye will only tickle us. Now leap!"

The strangle-weed was all around us as we broke through the dry's edge. We leapt with our bodies still touching. A blind giant was directly before us, and on its back dry-walkers seemed to helping it swallow the weed. Splashing back into the wet, I felt something sharp nip my tail, but with a flick it was free again. We were safe.

"I leapt", Pskr trilled. "Did you see me leap, mama?" His body was tingling with excitement.

I nuzzled both him and Tkkrh. We raced away from the giant, greeting with whistles other members as the scattered clan regrouped. Not all had escaped the strangle-weed's trap.

The whispers of the Little Wet reached us as the Warm Eye dived. Turning for home, we sang new songs for the sisters that we would hear no more.

END

hoy view

2008-08-02T12:08:00.001Z

hoy view
Originally uploaded by werewegian

a pleasant view of the island of Hoy from the Ness campsite at Stromness on the orcadian mainland

st paul

2008-08-02T12:06:00.003Z

st paul
Originally uploaded by werewegian

stained glass window in the dramatic St Magnus cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney

stromness harbour

2008-08-02T12:06:00.001Z

stromness harbour
Originally uploaded by werewegian

Once an important maritime centre, Stromness is mostly a sleepy harbour with a thrice-daily ferry service to the Scottish mainland.

ring of brodgar 3

2008-08-02T12:05:00.001Z

ring of brodgar 3
Originally uploaded by werewegian

split stone in the Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

hooray for bono

2008-07-24T22:07:00.001Z

hooray for bono
Originally uploaded by werewegian

summer at Glasgow's river city festival so we have what looks like a giant effigy of Bono doing a ski-jump as a bouncy castle? Works for me. Yay!

pipeband on the titanic? :)

2008-07-24T22:06:00.001Z

pipeband on the titanic? :)
Originally uploaded by werewegian

With speedboats zooming up and down, a pipeband on a barge slowly moving in and out of earshot gave a slightly surreal sound to Glasgow's River Festival. At least it wasn't too windy! :)

Ben Cruachan

2007-03-28T11:59:00.001Z

ben cruachan
Originally uploaded by flickrwegian.

Enjoyed a day out in Argyll with Alan. Spent time in Inverary and Lochgilphead. Had lunch near the Nether Largie monument in Kilmartin and took the back road from there to Inverary along Loch Awe. Fab weather - good time, and finished with a visit to the Loch Fyne Brewary for a taste of their real ales. :)

Easy

2007-03-08T21:51:00.000Z

Listening to an old album featuring Lionel Richie and The Commodores. I love Easy. It reminds me of a summer holiday in 1977 in Whitley Bay. A heat wave, ice-skating in the local rink, extended family in half-a-dozen caravans, and great music playing everywhere like Easy, So You Win Again by Hot Chocolate or even Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols!

Daydreamer

2007-03-06T20:44:00.000Z

I'm on a course for a new suite of software this week, and interesting it is too, a software analysis tool called CAST.

Anyway, despite the interestingness of the subject or the skill of the trainer, I surprised myself by drifting into a daydream at one point. I think I was thinking about music, or this blog or something, but I suddenly had to get my concentration back before I missed something vital.

I guess a lot of life is like that. We try to concentrate on the big things like Peace and the Environment, and being good to those around us, but all too often we slip into a sleepwalk, concentrating on the trivial and mundane instead. And then bad things like Iraq and Global Warming happen.

On the way home a car bumped up against us on the motorway. It was just at a nasty point on the M8 where five lanes are converging. The driver merged into our lane as if we weren't there and then tried to deny anything had happened. Luckily no damage was done and Alan just about kept his temper.

I wonder what the driver was daydreaming about.

Meanwhile on a wall in Switzerland...

2007-03-05T21:42:00.000Z

... a videocam captures a fleeting glimpse of a photograph. I'm one of over 14000 contributors to the We Are All Photographers Now exhibit in the Musee de l'Elysee, Lausanne. Mundane? Cool? Can't decide. Flattering though. :)

Add your own at http://www.allphotographersnow.ch/form.php

Original: Boating Pond In Winter

High Living

2007-03-04T21:08:00.000Z

I don't live as high as this but sometimes it's nice to take the lift nearer the top to catch a few sunset shots. I used to have a key to the roof drying area but was always conscious that creeping about up there might freak a few of the wifies hanging up their washing.

Winter Palace

2007-03-04T12:11:00.000Z

Alan and I attended a family gathering at the Winter Palace in Glasgow Green last night. Superb location if a little draughty in corners.

The night was for my cousin Colin who had married his long-term girlfriend Liz in Las Vegas last year. It was great to see the extended family for a celebration rather than a funeral.

Wore the kilt and for once was in with a crowd. It seems more and more Scots are returning to "traditional" dress for weddings.

The band wasn't bad and just when I was thinking they were stuck in the 60s and 70s, they did versions of Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs' hits. Well, versions is perhaps being kind. :)

Highlight of the night - possibly the taxi-ride home with my sister and her boyfriend listening to Alan's plans to open a Sponsor-A-Giraffe website!

last.fm

2007-03-02T00:11:00.000Z

I'm a late-comer to last.fm I know. Anyway here are my most recently listened to tracks:

Trimming The Tree

2007-03-01T20:08:00.000Z

I've been looking at the family tree information I've been collecting over the years. This has mostly been gathered from looking at birth, death and marriage certificates either locally or at Register House in Edinburgh.

I'm looking at it specifically to pass some of the information on to an uncle who I'll see at a family get-together on Saturday night. My problem is that there is so much of it and it's badly organized.

So I've trimmed it back a little - concentrating on the main family lines and not including (at the moment) the extra data concerning brothers and sisters of the main forebears.

As I look over the names I wonder again at who these people were, not in terms of occupation or where they lived, but how they were to talk to, were they friendly, polite, cantankerous, bad-tempered, funny? I know at least some of them will have the same family traits I see in my own siblings and cousins, but would I recognize that family resemblance if I went back in time and I saw them in the street?

None of my forebears were wealthy so family portraits and heirlooms are scarce prior to the twentieth century. I guess I'll never know but I can't help wondering who of all of them I take after.

reboot!

2007-02-28T22:02:00.000Z

Yup. Restart of this blog. Reboot of my online identity. More dear diary less bleating about other websites and their failures.

So who am I? Alan Stuart. A 45 year old gay scotsman, working in IT, and living in Glasgow. Interests: music, photography, comics, real ale. Good sides: listening, team-building, quick to assess situations. Bad sides: tendency to exaggerate, a genetic laziness, lack of restraint when angry. Religious beliefs: none. Online since 1994.