A drive through Stornoway

A drive from Goat Island to the Tong Road end. Through Stornoway, Laxdale and part of Newmarket.

Filmed on HTC Desire.

Cloudy With a Chance of Stew

Cloudy with a chance of soya stew. Using sunglass lens as a filter over the HTC Desire’s lens. And the FxCamera application.

Passing Place

Sometimes we just need to pull over.

TiltShiftMaker

I got distracted by some of the cracking images at "Examples Of Tilt-Shift Photography", and re-discovered tiltshiftmaker.com 

 

I uploaded a photo from earlier in the week and started to modify the distortions. I’ll need to get some shots to specifically modify them for Tilt-Shift.

It’s good for the garden

Another FxCamera snap from "ymst"'s Android app and my HTC Desire. Text added in post'.

Callanish (batch 2)

Following on from earlier, here are some more photos from my visit to the Callanish Standing Stones on New Year’s Eve 2009. The weather lightened up and so I decided to risk the roads. My parents had a HOST guest staying, Zhe, from China, so we did the ‘circular’.

Yup, the 4,000 year old stones are still a useful shelter.

More to follow when I next get some time to myself.

Softly, softly

I’m still around, just up to my eyes with other things – work, wargames, and women. Okay, so two out of three ain’t bad.

Here’s a dodgy photo from my Christmas break at my parents. The Callanish standing stones in the snow on the Isle of Lewis. When I get some time, I’ll do a catch-up post of my un-exciting life.

Stornoway Homecoming 2009

Massed pipe bands in Stornoway today. They were really good, and were having fun.

There was a parade and stalls and the rescue helicopter did amazing feats of control and slides and a fair and dancing and a craft fair and the international market and there was lots and lots and lots of people at it and even the police car had streamers on it.

Civil War in Pairc

A bitter dispute ensued, until the mission house furniture and the missionary’s cow were burnt and twelve hens belonging to a Lemreway resident who had sided with the missionary were decapitated. Later a bull in the village died in mysterious circumstances...

Read the full story here

Need a location map? Click here.

Marag dubh with view

Marag dubh with view, originally uploaded by dimacleod.

A flat crossing. The east coastline is coated in a layer of cloud. A mac user is entertaining his kids by playing recent doctor who episodes. Just a shame he doesn't have a projector unit. But my brain is doing the job of video feed to supplement the audio overspill. Outside the clouds are clearing as the heat from the sun comes into play. I may go for a walk on deck. After i finish coffee.

Drawn to a close

Drawn to a close, originally uploaded by dimacleod.

"why are they drawing in the sky". Back from the fireworks display in stornoway, with a stop-off at cameron's chippy. Big changes for 2009. I've no idea what they will be, but i'm determined to have a laugh, spend no time on people determined to drag me down and i'm going to spend more time finding answers in books rather than skimming the net in the hope i might find the same solution. Web2.0 is dead. It promised much but ends as a giant chatroom. Cloud computing needs an expansion of the network capacity. Will we exit the recession with a globe-spanning high-capacity mobile network? Will we be drawn to the cloud? The future belongs to us. Maybe i'll see you there.

The sun might come out tomorrow

The sun might come out tomorrow, originally uploaded by dimacleod.

Well, the first sun that i've seen rise in over a week. I feel guilty at not slaughtering a sheep in celebration, or at least going somewhere with the big camera. Frankly, i can't be @rsed when i feel forced into doing something when i'm really not in the mood. I could walk round the castle grounds snapping away like a tow-rist, but, i mean, it isn't interesting like the Yukon. Anyway, i'm Mum's taxi today, so i'll use that as am excuse.

No stormy bay this

No stormy bay this, originally uploaded by dimacleod.

As is often the case, a calm bay ends the nautical leg of the journey. Anchors away, lads.

Holm, sweet holm

Holm, sweet holm, originally uploaded by dimacleod.

A recognisable sliver of land appears in the window. Time to get up.

Leurbost road end

Leurbost road end, originally uploaded by dimacleod.

Holding the video camera as my Dad drives and Mum narrates. She's had a request to send a video to a relative in Australia.
Maplink

Death in the Air

The croft was strangely quiet. A solitary wood pigeon perches statuesquely atop the windvane, eying the leftover rice. "What's up?", i ask the Old Man. "There's a pair of buzzards nesting in the Castle Grounds." As i looked back out, the vane was empty, rice untouched. Walking round the side of the house, a small black dot is visible against the thunderous clouds. My eyes, drawn by the motion quickly makes out the ragged wing-ends. Only seagulls are big enough to risk taking to the air. Behind me, the cat is sitting on a fence-rail, waiting to pounce on birds moving close to the ground. Every cloud has a silver lining for the hunter.

Continental Fair

On the westernmost edge of Scotland, a fair is advertised as 'Continental' and then 'European'. It is probably both, and to confuse matters, i buy some wasabe coated peanuts. Also some salami stuffed with olives. My Dad sticks with the tactic of hardly moving from the central spot as he chats to people he knows. On a hot, cloudy day, it is a sensible ploy. Off to one side of me, 2 ambulance crew load a slowmoving gent into the back of their vehicle.

Road Trip: the Minch

Heading to Ullapool. Not as windy as forecast, but ferry has tilt as wind hitting her from south. Starboard. Tomorrow it will be summer. Strangely we find an Isle of Ewe on the nautical chart. It is down the coast from the ship's route. And poisoned island.

Mark 3 Wood burner

My Dad made the mark 3 wood burning stove today. Thanks, Dad. We (stress 'we') got it heating water in ... well, my Dad reckons I could have set up my tent, had my brew, and my dinner, broken down the tent and be on my way again before the 'me' using the woodburner had it warm enough for a brew.

Then we thought that was unkind, and we needed to sort out a wind shield for it. Maybe some rocks. Like a pile of stones in some sort of hearth-like arrangement. Like a hearth. Where we could set a fire. And then we wondered why we needed the tin can. But the soup that we bought with the can was nice. And I have a can with eyes holes in it. Maybe it'll come in useful at Hallowe'en? Boogie woogie.

Road Trip: Stornoway

After being treated to lunch by my folks, we tourist shop in Stornoway. Mike goes off alone into Charley Barley's for the marag dubh and other goodies. He's under instructions to ask for a free mug as i may be recognised.