April 2010
Just when you think winter is over it starts snowing again. Normally the onset of lambing is a sign that the weather will change but we had a few great days last week so now have to pay for it !. Work has been thin on the ground recently and I have just started this years accounts. Always dread doing this and I will make a loss again this year. So I have decided to stop framing for the general public and concentrate on selling my own framed pictures. That way I can control stock much easier and will not end up with a lot of stuff I cannot sell. I wiil of course keep framing for one or two of my best customers.
A few weeks ago we had an open day at the police station and all the major services turned up. Unfortunately the star attraction, sar helicopter, was called away to deal with an incident. The weather was not brilliant but around 150 people attended over the course of the day so that made it worthwhile. I was commissioned to photograph the event and managed to get a few decent pictures.
The other big attraction was a police dog who looked cute but we were reminded of its real purpose.
Another dog but this one is called Moilly and she is a blond labrador. This was taken as she was being chased by a large (friendly) alsation on Oldshoremore beach.
This aircraft landed on the beach at Balnakeil, Durness.
By way of an example the next two pictures show the difference that a good frame can make to a picture. It is part of a set of six that I reframed for a prestigious customer in Achfary, about 20 minutes south on Kinlochbervie. When they came in I thought the job would be straightforward but it turned out to be a bit of a challenge.
Before...
The prints are from etchings and I found a frame moulding that also looked as if it had been finished in the same way so the final result really compliments the picture. My aim is always to frame in such a manner that neither adds or detracts from the original picture and I was really pleased with the results.
After....
I have finally got round to planting a small stand of willow, around 100 trees. The idea is to eventually be self sufficient in firewood and as Scotlands forests will be a lot smaller in 20 years this is the time to start planting.
January 2010
Like everywhere else in the UK, the weather is a major source of conversation. In this part of the country the bad weather started early and we seem to have had more days below freezing than above. On several occasions my drive has been a sheet of ice that even the land rover cannot cope with. I ordered a set of snow chains before xmas which finally turned up the other day. Ironic that the delivery driver had decided his front wheel drive transit was more than a match for the conditions. I returned home to find his van well and truly stuck and blocking my drive. Fitted the chains but only managed to gouge big grooves in the track. Eventually had to get a local + JCB to get him out. The wood burner has been doing sterling work but with such a large area to heat I have to resort to electric heating as well. It takes many hours before the fire can overcome the heat losses from the uninsulated gallery etc. Generally it is warm enough to work by mid evening, just when I really don't feel like it !.
Another problem is getting some of the equipment up to temperature. Still managed to do quite a bit so must not grumble. One bonus of the cold weather is that I have been able to get out with the camera on a few occasions. The best one was a few days ago photographing deer. They are having a really bad time of course and many will not survive the winter. However there has been an explosion in the deer numbers in recent years so this weather will have an impact. Although they are cute they do a lot of damage to trees and crops and are regarded as a pest by most people.
Hopefully this weather will ease off soon but of course we are only just heading into what should be the coldest time of the year so who knows.