Back at work.

Despite a fresh sprinkling of snow this morning which caused another car to crash on the straight road from Tolsta, I'm back at work. That's why I'm here because I have not been called out and obviously I've been revising my techniques ready for when I am :-)

Spent an hour or so meditating in the dentists chair this morning as she remodelled a post ready for crowing soon. Be glad when that's all over too.

Have not been doing much photographising of late but I have been in the darkroom a little and snap above was one I prepared earlier from the Isle of Bernera.

Nice thing at this time of year is to hear from folks you have not heard from a while - so many thanks to all have been in touch. We do think of you all up here on our island.

Christmas in North Tolsta

Christmas Morning on the beach

Happy Christmas from me - Andrea

Well, for us Church of England and other Christians of that ilk, today was for celebrating the birth of Christ. For many in the village who are members of the free or pentecostal churches this is not the case - as I understand it. In fact, someone was using the lovely weather to get their washing out into the fresh warm and sunny air that blessed us this morning.

Eve & I and a couple of friends - Kate & Steve - strolled down to a local beach to consort with the world and exchange pleasantries in our own way. It was just wonderful. I have never really enjoyed a morning like it - except for the ice on the way down the steep path. The dogs had a wonderful time too.

On the way home, we called into see The Crofter and family to bid them the very best of the season then made our way to some more friends - The Smits - for a shared dinner and admiring of Ms Smits new dolls house - one we had assembled it. Brilliant food, wonderful company and we waved goodbye rather later than we intended. So then it was off to see The Crofters again for a chat then home to drink good health with the neighbours before we slumped into a chair at home.

What a lovely day.

Not normal. Not anything really

2008 snow

Look, I'll have you know we have no snow here. Well, just a smidgen hanging on in the cold weather. However, in true winter stylee, we can see loads out there on the mainland where the big mountains shine white - or at least pinkish - in the morning sun.

I say this as its all I can see out of the window as this flipping flu is hanging on for dear life. My stuffed rabbit - Lord Wiesmier - has been giving my funny looks of late in bed as I sweat uncontrollably and then freeze as I cool down and stoke the fire. its not easy you know.

It seems my work chum's wife has gone down with the lurgee too so goodness knows what is going to happen if William goes down with it.

And The Crofter is down with it. I hear that he is not blaming me. Which is surprising since I did go and visit him in the early stages when I thought it was just a cough. Mum & Dad crofter are now in Crofter Towers looking after the animals and generally patting The Crofter's sweated brow. I have been invited to come and photograph on Christmas Morning and, if I feel a bit better I might just do that. I had planned that.

So, here's a very hearty thanks to all you who read this blog and very best wishes for a fine 2010.

Normal - or as normal as I can be.

Had a tortuous night in the Summer Parlour so that Eve could get a nights sleep. It's a nice room that houses the pooter, the settee and a small solid fuel stove. There are some photos on the wall including a couple of nice cyanotypes and a gap where my Lewis peat stack snap used to be - and now hangs in the Coelyns abode - and that please me a lot.

Since I'm still confined to quarters with the dreaded, and I find myself experiencing hot sweats at the moment, I am using the time usefully to keep you up to date Not sure if its the stove going into furnace mode or me that's making me feel hot. That's the thing about stoves like this, it all depends on the wind direction and air pressure which makes cooking with the Raeburn a dark-art.

After some mindfulness meditation this morning I finally worked out why I had a cold leg yesterday. I found it wasn't a cold leg after all. It was a hot leg which made the other one feel cold and this could have been brought about by me sitting across the front of the stove warming one leg to gas mark 7.

Oops!

Anyway, just in case someone from work is reading this, I'm still indisposed and my colleagues will have to go out and wrestle the miscreants to the grounds for me.

I'm had a root around my snaps file and I have found this one for your delictation;

Sir Christopher Hoy - triple Olympic cycling champion back when he was mortal training at the Manchester Velodrome. Some when around the turn of the century :-)

Oh, and many thanks for the get-well-soon messages; much appreciated

Bird, swine, normal, whatever

It seems I have flu. Been laid low for a couple of days with hacking cough that feels like its ripping the inside of my throat out - which as a result is sore. I'm hot. Then cold, and sweaty.

Does that sound like flu?

It feels like flu. Me heads swimming and my right leg is cold. Why is that? Don't look on tinternet or you'll think I've had a stroke - which I haven't thank goodness.

What I need is TLC and luckily I'm getting plenty from my dear Eve - pictured above.

As a result I've missed working tonight and have not ventured outside into the cold and snow. Which is such a pity since I was looking forward to snapping up the white stuff.

Ah well. Will get better soon I'm sure

Davina, Dee, Dozey, Beaky, Michele and Tiny

"Good morning Carolyn" I offer on entering the wonderful little pharmacy in Bac[k].

"Hoo's ya fettle?" Carolyn retorts since she hails from sunny Newcastle - that's NewcAstle with the emphasis on the A. So I'm told.

Well, as it happens my fettle is just fine and since I'm aware that The Pharmacist is just checking to see if I am going to reel off a list of ailments, I tell her my fettle is fine. Carolyn visibly relaxes with relief.

Then I list my ailments. She expects that you see and I wouldn't want to dissapoint.

I don't actually. I couldn't do that to her. Not everyday anyway. So I say "Champion". That's Newcastle for "I'm just fine and thank you for asking".

Paul, her sporty husband bounds in with Glen the hound trailing behind, the dog looking for all the world like he going to rip my leg off and have it for breakfast. But this dog is nice.

However, he still guards the entrance of the pharmacy as if its his own. And I suppose it varnigh is really.

Still, the boy Paul is a canny lad, refrains from asking about ones 'slapper' and bounds out to climb Clisham before luncheon or something.

Not sure how we would all cope without Carolyn and her Elvetts in the pharmacy so here's a hearty thanks for everything in 2009 and best wishes for 2010.

BTW; Did I ever tell you about Carolyn reading bedtime stories to her pet sheeps -Davina, Dee, Dozey, Beaky, Michele and Tiny? No? Well, remind me sometime and I will.

And today.....

I was busy.

Quick trot down to see if the turkey numbers running around The Croft were down [they were not. Yet]. Trot out toward Garry Beach and back with Ghriet the dog. Then off to The Battys for a spot of engagement photography.

Mr Batty used to be El Supremo of the now-defunct island Photog Club here on the island so I know his demands are high and in consequence I took along a bunch of odd looking cameras held together with gaffer tape or elastic bands and set to work.

At this point I may refer you back to somewhere earlier in the blog where Mr Batty became engaged to the lovely Anna. Only I can't find it. Must be there. Needless to say Mr Batty is now a happy chappie and has had his life transformed for the better. So much so he actually said he liked the snap I took around to show him. Eh! That's a first!

I finished off the sesh with a couple of snaps with the 5x7 FKD Soviet view camera - all gaffer tape and elastic bands with only a hat for a shuuter. Now I have two nice negs for a vandyke print to come sometime in the near future and, another that should print up nicely on Silver Halide. I say should because I shot some 200asa sheet film at 800asa as you do, developing in homoeopathic dilutions of Rodinal for around 5 hours. It could have done with overnight but still, its usable.

So, the snap above is the happy couple - David and Anna of North Tolsta. I just need to find some time to print this snap in the darkroom.

Visit of the Rabster

What a lovely surprise this evening when Mr Rab McMurdo ex-Motor Vehicle technician turned up at my little home for a chin-wag. I've not seen much of The Rabster since he stopped sucking through his teeth at the sight of my motor coughing its way into his old yard in Riggs Road. The Rabster seems to have gone decidedly upmarket these days taking the high ground in Coll and generally making himself known around the place.

The Rabster seems to have taken to this retirement thing - digging his digger here and there and planning to move into the oil business so he can be bought out like all the others. Once he has come back from Barbados and his other gaff that is. Or so he tells me. But then he has told me lots of things over the few years I've known him.

3 years

Its now 3 years of wonderfulness that Eve and I have been civilly marriaged. And we have been together for coming up for 10 years I think. It's still lovely and I count my self so very lucky to have found someone to be so very in love and content with.

So, this week we went for a little celebration meal in the Limelight restaurant in Stornoway which, by all accounts was just brilliant. I had nut roast and Eve roast Salmon.

We met though cycling - Eve was beginning to ride on the Velodrome in Manchester where I was coaching at the time. That little journey ended with Eve as World Masters Pursuit Champion and me worn out!

Here's to the next 10 years or so!

PS. This is not Eve in the snap - or her bike!

Clocks

"Where's Ben"I asked. Ben being Clocks' little terrier who is usually somewhere around. " Do you want him?" Clocks replied - as he often does. "Yes" I said knowing full well that no-one can own Ben since he is his own man. He belongs to North Tolsta although Clocks feeds him. Ben can often be seem miles away from Clocks Towers at the other end of the village purposefully making his way somewhere that inspires him. Maybe a bitch on heat. Certainly he has been seen lurking outside Curls' hopefully thinking Mandy will make her way through the fence.

Ben maybe small. And white-ish. But he ready to tackle any size of dog and stand his ground.

Mind you its amazing that Ben is around at all as he has been flattened a number of times which slows him down for a few weeks. This makes me thinks he is probably crossed with cat!

"A-toot a-toot, a-toot diddle-ee-ada-too"

"I will tell you only once...."

Balloons. Real ones.

"I hope that's not an air-raid"?

Fun on the dance-floor

Glenn McMiller and the Anndras Sisters

We arrived at the Stornoway British Legion Playhouse. It was 1944. I was convinced. The venue was right-cosy but spartan- and lit by a few dim-bulbs. We had been magically transported back 20 years or so from the present day to when boys were men and women looked fantastic in their frocks and overly severe hairdos. Red lipstick abounded and a spiv - no doubt with a row of fake Rolex's inside his jacket - sat quielty watching the action while his gal sat obediently by his side. An air-raid warden prowled while raffle tickets were sold for ration-book prizes. A few Army, Airforce and Naval service personnel were in evidence - no doubt glad to be back on Lewis soil for a while. Meanwhile, Glenn McMiller and his Bandettes were getting the swing into the evening . Trombones were blaring and trombonists' hands were flapping. Trumpets soared, basses twanged and sax did what sax do. In the main.

Twas wonderful. Eyes glistened with memories of times past, times of austerity, of working together and loved ones lost.Then up came the Anndras Sisters tweetering like veritable songbirds. The dance -floor filled, ballons flew everywhere and then the flippin air-raid siren went. I think. I'm not that old honestly but when your ears start throbbing at some wailing sound, the place goes dark and one can see death and destruction wrought by bombs through the 'window' - albeit interspersed with a quick sight of a south-sea island [I must admit at this point I did think I had over-dosed on sarsaparilla ], you know something is up. And it did look a tad worse than the usual Friday night in Stornoway I must say.

Still, we had the wonderful Laxdale Women's choir to caress our ears, and then more of the McMillar fantastic big band. What a fun evening was had seemed to be the consensus most of us as we stumbled out into the Stornoway evening back to the hoardes of erbs thronging the streets and lurking outside the bars.

OOOh

Been out of commission after a short visit to the Quack place. I should be able to sit down soon.

In the meantime, here's a snap of Gress..

What a morning!

On the way down.

Wish I'd brought a picnic breakfast

I took the day off from snapping up the Crofters and wrestled myself out of bed before the sun was up over the mainland mountains - which wasn't quite as easy as it might have been due in the main to late night working and driving round the island. Since my lovely KOWA six is back from having some tlc at Newton Ellis in Liverpool I took it out loaded with some Panf down the road on the track to the nearest beach.
The brisk walk in the cool breeze along with the camera and tripod soon brought me to my senses and I gazed out over the Minch with Stac Polly on the horizon. Using my usual guestimation I shot a couple of frames here before moving down to the picnic table to watch the sun finally show its face. The skies were wonderful and I rather wished I'd made a pot of coffee to take with me. Still, I'm so looking forward to a darkroom moment with these negs! Do I like this self-portrait? Yes I do. A bit.

Blowin a Hooly

The weather changes somewhat quickly up here. This morning Eve and I were out having a lovely stroll in warm sunshine over the hills that bound Garry beach near our village of North Tolsta. Granted the wind was a tad brisk - granted I found it difficult to hold the camera steady but, the sun was shining and the walk lovely. We don't get up over those hills too often but when we do its always worth it. The mosses and the lichen there are superb and the views outstanding.
Now We are back home hoping the gale [force 10 on the Met office scale; force 24 on the I can't face going out scale] subsides soon. The rain is thrashing on the windows and threatening to flood my darkroom too.

Anyway, here's a snap from that morning walk.

Yep, its sorted. Nearly

For a while I have been struggling with an ailing scanner - the scans having horrible lines through them. But, seeing as the snaps were not all that good anyway, it didn't really seem to matter. Having said, it eventually got the better of me and I recently acquired a replacement which seems to be working ok - although it's going to take a few days to get the set-up right.

I had a difficult to get bulb in one of the enlargers bust this week too. Must be the weather - which today has been glorious. I ventured forth to the beach below the house with Mr Crofter and we strolled along without a care in the world. I stopped and snapped this up with the Voigtlander Perkeo folding camera and some Panf. As you can see, recent storms have scoured the sand away for the moment. Its about a 1.5m lower than normal!

Kenna

Please take 20 mins from your life today and look at this vid from Michael Kenna. Its like a meditation. Almost.

Where was it?

I'm referring to yesterdays little teaser on the blog. Well, since you ask it was snapped up coing uo from Bosta beach on the Isle of Bernera. Got you on that one !

I've been spending some time sorting out snaps for the Island Crofters blog of late. Its rather more time comsuming than I thought it might be, so if you are bored with this go over and have a look there. The snap above is one I took from the croft the other morning - the morning of the sun and fantastic light.

If you have already been there, go over to Andrew Sandersons site or blog and have a look there. He has some really lovely work to view - and he'll even teach you how to do it.

Two legs bad.

My dance teacher is exasperated with me. Told me I lacked imagination. And practice. And poise I shouldn't wonder but luckily I'm not sure that's a word my dance teaches uses. As yet.
I only took up dancing after being inspired by dance teachers' twinkle toes, lightness of foot and all-round happiness. Apart from when she is not happy that is. But that's not too often I find.
The lessons are on a a rather ad-hoc basis. Thirty seconds or so every couple of weeks is about the cut of it. My dance teacher's time is precious you see. This morning I was only part way through a twirl and highland hop - or whatever its called when Ms Teacher's boyfriend appeared and that was the end of my lesson!!!! Such is life.

Anyway, such is the bounty of Ms Karmina Smit's artistic nature enthused with hapiness, that when the Democratic Republic of North Tolsta is declared - and mark my words it will be - Ms K Smit will get my vote for the post of Artistic Director with the Movement Portfolio. Or something.

Since Ms Smit's agent/Mum has not managed to place me in line for a smiggin of time to get a snap of my dance teacher, and school beckons agin in the morning, the one above will have to suffice for the time being.

Two gold stars for those who know where this is.

Never knowingly under-done

The tile of this post is Mater's motto for the Christmas sprouts - which I am reliably informed have begun the pre-Christmas preparation so that cooking can begin in early December. Needless to say Mater prefers her sprouts on the soft -side!

Talking of which, here's another HCB-esque portrait of Toots Wilson in his dressing down jumper.

Apologies for the less-than brilliant scans of late but the old scanner is going on the blink. I hope to have the situation rectified in the fullest of time :-)

Oh, and before I forget, a big Congrats to Mr Batty and his new fiancé Anna - both of this parish. Such lovely news. I wonder how Anna does her sprouts tho?

This dog is barking

Totally and utterly barking that is. Harry, for that is his given name, is staying with us for a few days while Mr & Mrs Windy are off the island pretending they can remember what it was like to be 21. Harry is very good. He is sitting looking over my shoulder at the moment which is a tad unnerving. But on the beach he is his own dog. Off digging, swimming and moving pebbles around the beach - a sort of canine Andy Goldsworthy.

The beach

Quite often on my strolls I have a camera with me. Most of the time actually although I don't always use it. Its not often I'm tempted with colour. I did this time with the Voigtlander 6x9 folder, got the exposure wrong and was delighted with the results - faults an-all.

Roof now

Its not just the interior that's getting an upgrade, it the roof of the darkroom-to-be.

I'm a Lewis Photographica celebrity, get me,,,,,,,

Tea anyone? Barbara of the Coelynes asks.

This is NOT the finished wall. The job had only just began - 1st cup of tea and all that.

Have you ever decorated a room? I have. In fact I should be doing that right now in the Warming Room since you mention it. Still, this is important.

I helped Toots redecorate his technical room recently - with a little help from fellow LP[c]rs. The technical room with Thomas the Tank Engine wallpaper that Toots had been keeping very quiet about. Its brilliant and luckily the paper came off in complete sheets so it will reappear in a frame all nicely mounted and what have you - once the decoration here has been sorted. And that's any time now.

I was lucky in that in-between telling Toots and the un-named person I can't mention because I have not cleared it with him, how do do the job, making tea and reading this months B&W mag that I no longer suscribe to, I took a few snaps. Naturally, I rated an un-pushable 400asa film to 1600 and developed it later in Rodinal. Just because I can.

Meanwhile, I am risking life and limb to capture the essence of Paul The Crofter's life over on Island Crofters. For goodness sake. Go and have a look. Just a taster below.

Cabin fever

Sometime, just sometimes, the weather gets the better of me, the wind howling, the rain lashing down and what-have-you so I have to stay in rather more than I prefer. Luckily it doesn't happen too often on this paradise island - at least not more than once a week anyway at this time of year.

Sometimes too, I just don't have the energy to leap out of our nice warm and comfortable bed with our venerable Lord Wiesmier- stuffed rabbit of this parish - and so look around the place for something to photograph. I have never been too good setting up still lifes and would rather snap-up something that already 'is'. This snap is no exception since I took it from the armchair in the Warming Room.
Here you can see my auxiliary shutter [the hat] and a snap of our civil partnership printed on POP.

Moishe’s Bagel

Gratuitous snap of an island car mechanic wondering where the wonderful music is coming from!

Whoa! Went to what was the best jig of the year at An Lanntair last night. It was Moishe’s Bagel- a weird mix of klezmer, ska, south american and balkan music. Gotan Project and the Modern jazz quintet meets Rabbi Blue eh! Brilliant musicians and it could have gone on for another hour as far as I was concerned. If you have not seen them, do so asap - Drumnadrochit tonight - assuming they got across the Minch on the ferry OK since there is a storm raging outside as I write. Check out the vid here.

A fine fellow

Some of you who read this blog may know this fine fellow from our lovely village. It's such a good snap I thought I'd post it here for you to see.

Tootless in An Lanntair

It should have been Coelyn-less in An Lanntair but that title doesn't really work. Anyway, this is Toots Wilson, town planner, photographer and musician. He'll be playing in the 1940s night in December run by .... not sure actually. But there will be 1940s music, food and no doubt 1940s jokes. Sounds like fun and it runs for one or two nights only. Not to be missed - apparently.

Toots and I plus the Coelyns usually meet here weekly in this bijou place for a spot of photographic related chatettes and drink coffee or green tea. The service is great, the ambiance superb, the staff lovely. Do we get discount now?
Toots in more relaxed mode. I rather think this composition has a touch of the Cartier-Bresson about it. See here perhaps.


For the technical minded, these snaps were taken with the Kiev rangefinder with Jupiter 12, foma400 rated at 1600 and developed in Rodinal 1;100 fo 1.5 hours. Can't be done - right?

Lomo

The whole Lomography thing that seem to have taken off annoys me. Its a marketing ploy pure and simple. I suppose at least they are getting people to use film rather than digital through making the whole thing 'cool'.
This snap was taken on a Lubitel 166 loaned to me by Toots Wilson.

A final place

There is a fine churchyard in Inverness full of old headstones and trees. Eve and I spent a while mooching about in the sunshine - until I noticed I seemed to have been followed by a man in a top-hat - except there was no-one there. We moved on soon after that.

Cromarty

While Eve & I were on the mainland we took a bus ride out to Cromarty - where it poured with rain. Still, I visited this place that I had seen in an image by Rob Archer over on FADU forum. Its about the only place in this wonderful village where you cannot see the oil rigs out in the bay. Apart from the pub that is - where we waited for an hour and half for soup! Still, we were entertained by the students on a field trip in there getting their din dins.


Another pinhole shot on the ferry. I took it, you see it!

Crofter

I'm still posting here but also here . Do take a look from time to time. Its all about Paul the crofter.

Land boats

I have become ever more aware that there seems to be a plethora of boats that sit in gardens and yards awaiting a fate that may or may not involve water! Here's a couple from a trip to Cromarty recently. Some of these boats may be out of the water for winter but some I fear are out of the water for ever.

Inverness through a small hole

Inverness

No, I have no Inverness images yet. They nestle mysteriously in-camera waiting for some time to be delicately caressed by essence of rodinal and possibly, just perhaps see the light of day. But, I did make a snap on the way over as one does. As I do anyway. Traditional innit?

Been away

Been living it up on the mainland for a few days - the rain followed us but, today when we were coming home the sun shone all day.

The lovely thing was that on the way over we saw a school of dolphins scooting across the bow of the ferry mid-Minch. What a superb sight that fair lifted my heart.

Be back with some snaps soon.

Working with paper negatives

If you click on here it will take you back to a paper negative made print I made earlier his year. I thought I might write a few wordettes about about a way to do them. Its not THE way to do them, it my way.

Select you camera and find some un-exposed B&W printing paper to use. [There is a chap here who uses colour paper but that's for the future :-) ]. You can use graded or multi-contrast - it really doesn't seem to matter - I usually use RC as its cheaper, usually thinner and doesn't show too much texture when contact printed. Neither does it matter if the paper is old and little fogged. It fact it may well help since you next step would be to pre-flash the paper. I do this under an enlarger with a 00 filter in place, the lens stopped down and the head cranked right up. I usually flash for about 1-2 secs - but you may need to experiment. the idea is to lower the contrast of the neg a little.

To aid keeping a lower contrast, I find it is much better to shoot in soft light - but then, up here we get a lot of that anyway. Most of my paper negs are shot indoors with either a 5x7 held together with gaffer tape and elastic bands or a fine Agfa 8x10 I currently have on loan and covet terribly. I also shoot using lens' without shutters just using the dark-cloth to cover and then expose the lens to the subject and since the light is lowish, the asa of the paper low too, this works just fine. Mostly.

Now comes development. Mix a very dilute developer and put in developing tray. Have another tray with water and yet another with fix. As long as the liquid is not frozen solid the temp of the stuff will not matter a jot! Although, having said that, if its too hot the development will be a bit fast.

1. Put neg into dilute developer and slowly develop the image till you get a soft image. I don't let much if any of the proper blacks develop as I don't really like white in my prints.

2. If the print has areas that need more developing, pop the print firstly into the water to stop overall development or at least slow it, then dip the portion of the neg you need more development into the dev and wait til something comes up. You'll need to move the thing about a bit as otherwise you might get a line appearing. You could also rub the developer onto the neg with some rag or whatever.

3. Re-wash in water then fix.
Sorted.

Now, you can either stick the dried print on the scanner and invert the image or, do the job properly and contact print the neg.

To contact print the paper neg, I dry the neg properly. Some people say contact print wet neg to wet print but its messy and seems to have no benefit whatsoever.
Put the paper neg face to face with your paper for the final print making sure the neg is on the top! Place some plate glass over it and do some test exposures as you would do for a normal print. This can be done under a light bulb but an enlarger or similar is easier to use filters.

I often split-contrast print the paper negs but you can do them with a single filter if you prefer. Develop as per a normal print and tone as required.

It is possible to pencil on the back of the paper neg to change to change the tones and shading but I have not got the skill. If you want to see a Master of this technique see Andrew Sanderson's work here and here . Brilliant work! Great workshops too.

Anyway, have fun. The Paper neg, contact printed snap here was not a total success but I like it!

Lets go to the moor

The moors here are just sublime and you are unlikely to see a soul. Wonderful old peat roads leading to peat banks, and if you are lucky a lovely light across the hills. It always lifts my spirits up here.

Slide show

Mmm, went to a slide show last night at An Lanntair. Still mulling it over. The slides were lovely from all around the globe - especially the polar regions. The audio-visuals I did not like. This was all by Mr J Beaty and it was quite an enjoyable evening - an evening which finished off with some snaps he took with the Guga hunters of Ness.
Click this link for some other interesting pictures of the Guga hunt by Donald Morrison.

Island Crofters

I have commenced a longer photographic project that hopefully documents the lives of a crofter in my village here on the Isle of Lewis. I will just be using B&W film and in the main 35mm cameras.
The crofter Paul is an in/offcomer and supplements his income as a dental technician and his family live in the village too - helping him run the busy croft. The project will be put on the blog Island Crofters. Hope you visit from time to time.

Colour again

Another snap or three from the slide film I ran through the Lubitel loaned to me by Toots imself. The Fuji400 film was uprated to 800 due to low light - and it could have been 1600 but thought that might have been pushing the boat out a bit.
From the same day at Caste in Stornoway.