Playing with Photography

Just a short one today. I start my new job tomorrow and I'm busy panicking over all the silly little things (Is there a microwave for heating up lunch? Should I wear the company polo shirt or a proper shirt? etc). I have managed to keep myself busy to try and stop fretting about what I know are silly things, and as a result its been quite an eclectic week!

My last day was Friday and I'd already organised it to be a half day. It went really quickly - one of the instruments was being difficult (clearly its going to miss me!) so I helped out with that in the morning and then took a really long morning break as I was handing out homemade shortbread to everyone. My new role is still in the same company, but its a completely different department and a different building, so I wasn't sure if I was going to get the big cheerio from the wing. 

I did get the big send off - the entire wing crammed into one of the labs and, despite trying to hide behind one of the instruments, I was presented with a card and some gifts (a multicoloured, multi-tool - is that not the best?! And a porg mug! And magnetic poo, but everyone gets poo, that's what happens when you work for the water industry!). Whilst I certainly didn't get upset or cry or anything, I could feel the emotionals trying to get me. I think its good to move on from a place before you grow to hate it, but I know I need a new challenge - still, there's a few faces there I am really going to miss.

Friday I also hosted Burns night for the family (sadly not many photos) and despite the fact that I despise haggis in any form, managed to pull together a feast that went down very well. As always, dessert is important to me and the crowning glory of the night was the apple and bramble pie I made. The hubby did the Haggis Hunting poem, which went down far better than Ode to a Haggis (which I always felt was far too long!) and I think we managed the right amount of tradition that it felt like a Burns Supper and not just a get-together.

Is it still #NoFilter when the filter is an external sheet of glass?

Yesterday I met up with a friend who has just gotten herself a D-SLR (canon, so sadly we cant share lenses etc as I have a Nikon) and we took Missy out on a photography walk around Dechmont. I've talked about the abandoned asylum before and its a great place to get some weird and wonderful photographs. One of the things she brought were glass filters that slot into a holder in front of your lens (I got to play with these as she needed the 58 clip on ring, and I was a 55), so we had tremendous fun seeing what colours did what. I knew previously that a yellow filter actually adds extra depth for black and white photography, so we put that to the test amongst other things.

It was quite fun to see that we both had a different eye for a picture - whilst effectively taking the same shot, we would frame things differently or spot different little oddities to focus on when going around the same building. Missy also showed off how good she is at having her picture taken, happily going were asked and patiently waiting for her reward. She did burn off a lot of energy chasing squirrels and bunnies too, so the whole walk wasn't spent bumbling about after us!

Today has been a sewing day - I have my next dance exam in February (Highland and National) and the Hornpipe outfit I'd picked up second hand was just all the wrong sizes, so I've dropping hems and nipping in seams for most of the day. I'm in a distracted mood, so really the job shouldn't have taken as long as it has! But I'm happy with it now, so its just a case of trying to get some practise in!

On a side note, I've been tagged in that 7 day black and white photo challenge thats been doing the rounds on Facebook, so I'll put them all together on here next week with an explanation for each of them!

Looking for Ghosts in Dechmont

Well, the weather is finally improving and of course Missy has injured herself! The vet is fairly certain that her kneecap has become mobile and as it locks out of place, causes her to limp - not painful but a bit uncomfortable. So, its anti-inflammatory's and lead walks for the next two weeks and she has already become rather unimpressed at the situation.

Bearing in mind the vets advice, the hubby and I decided to do some exploring of the more local area which should provide Missy with some new sights and smells and not be quite as boring. Her need to annihilate the local squirrel population will have to be put on hold.

Missy in front of the main building

Dechmont Law is locally the highest natural area and as such has lots of dog walking and fields and that was Saturdays morning outing. When looking into the area, we discovered that we had an abandoned insane asylum literally around the corner, so of course we armed ourselves up with all our Lovecraft quotes and went out to see if Missy could find us a ghost!

Bangour Village Hospital has had an interesting life - originally built as an asylum, it was commandeered in both wars as a military hospital and then returned back to its original purpose before being abandoned in the '90s and the last of the buildings went out of use in '04. It is a vast area of land that has now been commandeered by the local dog walkers and occasionally visited by vandals (hence all the security fences).

We did our best to stick to the no trespassing rules, but did poke our heads through some of the rotten and damaged doors and walls. I had expected an air of quiet restlessness, some sensation of a presence to coincide with the history of the place, but with the song birds enjoying the first real flutter of spring and the bunnies scurrying under the rhododendrons, there was only an element of sadness that such beautiful buildings had been left to rot.

The area has been proposed for redevelopment, so I'm not sure how much longer the hospital will be in the area.

We finished the walk and Missy was rather pleased with herself - after getting tied up beyond all hope amongst brambles, she dashed off the moment she was unclipped to the rhododendrons and attempted to reduce the rabbit population.

Although, with a smile like this, I cant be cross with her!