March of the Daffodils (just)

These are the daffodils outside my front door - photographed this morning in the rain. As you can see they are just bursting out, which is late even for here.

Meanwhile, not very far from here I saw cherry blossom out, which appears more on time.

The Advent of Snow

This was actually yesterday and we've had that amount again this morning with more due. All of this is right on my doorstep in the middle of Dunfermline.

Apparently earliest significant snowfall since 1993, though I doubt that was in London where I was then.

My workplace has benefits

 

Taken last Monday morning when I couldn't resist taking a few shots.

More here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cobaltmale/October2010Misc#

On my Travels: Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine

I've been trying to use my week off not just to slob about at home, but get out and enjoy the fresh air. The original idea was to get a week-long Megarider ticket, but it hasn't turned out like that. Probably for the best as I've been too knackered to do journeys on consecutive days and the weather has peaked on the days I've chosen.

First off on Tuesday was Stirling- a destination I only decided at the bus station. It might easily have been Perth or the Fife coast or even Linlithgow.

If you look at a map and see the proximity of Dunfermline and Stirling you'd think it was a simple bus journey, probably an express route taking 30 minutes or so. Neither is true - I set off fairly early, taking the 10.15am departure. But because this embroiders a way via the villages along the River Forth, particularly High Valleyfield, and ignores motorways and direct routes I arrived at 11.45, which was admittedly 10 minutes late too. Hence why I don't go very often - Glasgow is quicker!

Though I've been to Stirling as recently as September 2007 (notably from Crieff), I was determined to climb up to the Castle and get views that took advantage of the crisp, clear day. I'd only done that once before, in summer 1999, armed with a camcorder whose Hi-8 footage I can no longer access.

Actually, the thing that caught my eye on approach was a new structure that was absent even in 2007 and I thought at first was a stadium rather than a bridge. It does look very impressive, if not too dissimilar to a lot of recent urban bridges, but is ultimately a bit pointless by traversing the rail lines but not quite stretching over a main road into the town on the north. And at the moment it's south side leads nowhere.

After a pub stop to catch up on the twitterati reaction to the 11am BBC cuts announcement (mine is in the next post) and upload a £1.75 pint of cider I was ready for the journey up to the castle.

Though I didn't actually enter the castle proper, which costs, the views from the esplanade are outstanding enough and you can see for miles in almost every direction (part of the west is blocked by the castle).

Having pottered around the town centre a while it was still mid-afternoon so I thought I'd try and fit in another destination while the weather held out. I nearly hopped on a 23 bus which went to Kinross (and eventually St Andrews) where I could easily head back to Dunfermline from. I actually caught the next direct service to Alloa - hoping to find a village-avoiding service back home. For Stagecoach ticket purposes both Alloa and Kinross count as Fife in 'rider' tickets, though neither actually are in Fife.

I've not stopped off in Alloa since, I think, 1985 and thought it might deserve another look. It didn't, but the above sign did confirm that Dunfermline is only 22 miles from Stirling (though not in the same direction obviously).

Importantly, although there is now a rail station again, there now appears to be no bus station or any attempt at one. All there is is a complete mess of a bus stop on the main street where the only information available gives the impression all buses go toward Stirling and nothing goes east, which was where I wanted. Eventually, and a lot later than I'd have liked, I caught a Falkirk bound one which could let me off at Kincardine where I knew I'd get on one of the express buses returning from Glasgow. It's probably what I should have done in the morning - it takes 10/15 minutes between Kincardine and Dunfermline on the express buses that run every half hour. Alas, as the temperatures dropped alarmingly, the express buses were very much behind schedule - one didn't appear at all and the next one was ten minutes late so I was stood there for another 45 minutes rather than the 5 minutes I expected.

Anyway, 75 of the pics from the day (I took more than 100!) are to be found in my Facebook albums - this should be open to all, even if you're not on Facebook. Tell me if not.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=204583&id=708765730&l=c1e148a1f3

Photos from Falkland

This is on approach to the town centre of Falkland from the south. Managed to catch the afternoon sun on this one

The snowdrop festival was what drew me there, but they weren't in the abundant flourish I'd been expecting, so this is the best photo I have of them.

A woodland path on the Falkland estate

A period garden feature on the Falkland estate

Detail of the Falkland Palace exterior

I think this is the spire of the town hall

Some details of the Bruce fountain in the middle of the town

The local map and guide

Some ivy covered house

Inside the Stag Inn.

Signposting the Stag Inn

Statue of long dead local noble

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland,_Fife

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/falkland/falkland/index.html

Britain Under the Snow from Space

Amazing satellite picture of our island almost completely under a layer of snow this week.

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/2010007-0107/GreatBritain.A2010007.1150.1km.jpg

Via benmorrisillo

Rugby Totty Special "the Edinburgh Rugby 2010 calendar

You might recall that the other day I said that this was one of the three calendars I was given for Christmas. On seeing the cover (above) I gasped with delight and was eager to see what wonders of beefcake were inside, especially knowing there is some real talent on the squad ...

I think it was January that made my mind up immediately upon opening it. Someone who doesn't fancy men (and has no concept of 'styling' beyond getting a basic theme) has put this together.

There's just so many things wrong with this shot - the cruellest being that Allan Jacobsen (leftmost) just isn't mainstream pin-up material except to those who really like their bears (his expression seems to agree). Then we come to Greg Laidlaw, not only does the toolbelt over the pants thing cancel itself out, but he's been put between two really big guys and so looks scrawny in comparison. Geoff Cross is a passably mainstream bear-type, but WTF is a doctor doing here? Is it an on-site medical?

Now February isn't so bad, but there's the first appearance of the pointless box-out - not for the last time relegating someone who deserves to be in the main picture (in this case I'd swap Simon Cross on he left for Andrew Easson). John Houston, on the right, could have carried the whole page himself though! Good location effort though.

In March they forget that the emphasis in these calendars should be on the guys - here the table tennis table and the walls take up most of the shot. Mark Robertson and Roddy Grant have kindly stripped to their pants but needn't have bothered as they're not close enough for inspection. And if foregrounded David and Mike Blair had bothered, well it is completely wasted - one of them hasn't even got their face in it!

This one's just unsexy - the only pair of pants we can see this time are Craig Hamilton's. Are the others in their pants or meant to be wearing trousers or nothing? On the left Scott Newlands is actually out of focus and looks podgy. The sunglasses on Andrew Kelly and Alan MacDonald just give them anonymity rather than mystique. And, of course, thee missed the obvious opportunity of a 'strip poker' scenario (which this isn't).

May is just lacking in effort - the only theme I see here is "tea-break" and that might even have been what it was. Being cruel again Davie Young on the right doesn't quite make the grade and the hat just makes him stand out more. Kyle Traynor and Sean Crombie are fine, but ought to have been better used.

Now June's main shot of David Callum is fine and would have sufficed - they even resisted the temptation to have him in his pants, which would be unnecessary and a bit naff. However the box-out presents us with what I consider the cardinal sin of this calendar by relegating the magnificent hunk of man that is Simon Webster (third from left) to a bit part. He doesn't appear anywhere else either! I'd have liked more of the other two in the box-out (Ross Samson and Andrew Turnbull) too but that's your lot of them as well.

The 'hey, we're in a band' theme is a bit desperate and 'guitarists' Ryan Grant and Steve Jones are again a wee bit out of focus. 'Drummer' Jim Hamilton steals the show her, despite being hidden behind his kit. He even has the Maggie's charity tattooed across his chest. Scott Macleod's hair doesn't quite fit with a rock band (or for a rugby player come to think of it).

All of a sudden though we have three months where they basically get it right. August has even been styled in blue light - dunno why but it looks good as do Nick De Luca and Ross Rennie.

September is 'all-stars' I'd say with three Scotland players featured on the golf course - Phil Godman, Allister Hogg ad Chris Paterson . This one has just the right balance of humour and bare flesh (and exposed pantage - thanks Phil!) for the subject.

This one's my favourite - the only thing I might point out is the shot of buildings in the background which slightly spoils the rural air of the shot. I'm also not sure if there's a significance in that the guy with the biggest dog has the most clothes off. Anyway, the dog-walking beauties here are Ross Ford, Tim Visser and Ben Cairns.

This one is June all over again - a main shot (Fraser McKenzie) that would have sufficed spoiled by an overly comic box-out in the bath. With Fraser are Steve Turnbull (leftmost) and (in the 'hilarious' sporran) Jim Thompson.

Just a basic 'too many cooks' error this one - I think four or five guys would do, not seven. Those seven are Mark Robertson, Andrew Easson, Scott Newlands (proving how badly represented he was in March), Tim Visser, Steve Turnbull, Roddy Grant and Jim "Sporran-Boy" Thompson. Notably, all are reappearances in the calendar.

White Christmas in Dunfermline?

It's looking 100% likely - after our heavy snowfall early yesterday I only dared venture out in it this morning for a pharmacy appointment. Walking back, I took a fair load of pictures in Comely Park and this is one I liked of real snow on real holly!

Effing cold though! Everyone is having to go around dressed like extras in a Perry Como Christmas Special, all bobble hats, scarves and sensible boots. Don't remember snow this thick here since the unexpected spell in March 2006. Apparently though the particular combo of snow and ice and temperature flux has made it the worst for transport disruption (in all it forms) for more than 20 years, though I'd have said the drifts of February 1991 would have been that. It was something like minus 12 degrees in Edinburgh last night - a low lying city by a river! And there have been reports of the Forth and the Clyde freezing over in parts!

Merry Christmas to everyone at home!

Totty for the Single Man - Nicholas Hoult

Teenage actor Nicholas Hoult is getting further exposure for his stunning looks - here in a shoot for OUT magazine styled by fashionista Tom Ford, who also directed him in the film of the Christopher Isherwood novel, "A Single Man". Nick's character Kenny is a student admirer of the lead character played by Colin Firth.

Here's the wordless trailer, where Nick pops up briefly a few times:



And here are the cast and Tom Ford attending the film's award-winning debut at the Venice Film Festival last September. Looks like Mr Ford may have had a hand in kitting everyone out so stylishly.

Crieff in the Spring

I forgot to post these efforts from last Sunday, when we went on a quick trip to sunny Crieff. These were all taken in McRosty Park around lunchtime.

I'm rather pleased with the bandstand one!