Bits and Bobs, but mostly Bobs

Andrew Carnegie's view of Dunfermline through the fog this morning. I'm guessing that most statues see in black and white.

Dunfermline City Chambers in morning fog.

Thinking about it, this is Andrew Carnegie’s usual head attire. Sometimes it’s a crow, but usually a gull of some sort. Statue of of Andrew Carnegie with bird perched on head.

Walked into Dunfermline (Scotland) the other morning to see dear old Andrew Carnegie doing his wizard impression again. Carnegie statue, Dunfermline with traffic cone on head.

A bluebell after a fright perhaps?

New photos, old camera

I recently worked with a class of primary school children learning about the First World War (1914-18). We spent time looking at the remarkable collection of photographs curated by the Imperial War Museum. This led to questions about what cameras were available to soldiers at the front and ultimately to me buying a Butcher’s Watch “Carbine” Pocket Camera dating from around 1912, for just a few pounds.

Naturally I wanted to see if this tiny, folding camera could still produce photographs. The shutter still seemed to work and the lens looked fine, my only problem was the obsolete film spool the camera requires. The actual film size (120) is still available and produces large negatives 6cm by 6cm. However, it is spooled onto slightly larger spindles than my old camera can handle and is twice the length. Fortunately a quick spindle trim with some scissors produced compatible film.

These images come from the first film I have put through the camera. The second was a happy accident. There is no mechanism to prevent exposing the same bit of film more than once, something I intend to take advantage of in the future.

I can’t help but wonder what images the camera captured when it was new and what its first owner thought of this tiny, technological wonder that they could carry anywhere in a pocket to capture images of life around them.

Photo of path and hedgerow in early springDouble exposure of trees

Golden turd on the Edinburgh skyline from the National Museum. It perhaps doesn’t look quite so awful in black and white.

Metallic turd

Took some photos of several day’s accumulation of frost just half an hour before the thaw set in and it all melted.

ice crystals

Lovely moonrise this morning.

Moon rising behind trees just before sunrise

Just processing some colour film from last summer to feel a bit warmer.

View overthe Firth of Forth from Burntisland

Spent the last few days mostly on my own being ill. At least the view outside the kitchen window is pretty.

Figure from the remarkable collection of architectural fragments at Elgin Cathedral. I took this photo in February, but only just got round to developing the film.

medieval sculpture of figure holding heraldic shield

Starlings were eating rowan berries in the garden this afternoon.

starling with a rowan berry in its beak

Met this anxiety filled couple at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow this morning. Apparently they have come over from Spain.

Medieval carvings of St John the Baptist and Mary

A self-sown sunflower in the vegetable patch. Hopefully there'll be more next year.

sunflower gone to seed

Colchicums coming out in the sun

Colchicums growing in my garden

Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline in February.

Snowy path in the park with footprints

A beach out of time

I finally got round to developing a couple of the films I took sometime between 2019 and 2021. I know this is the beach at Burntisland in Scotland, but that is all. There aren’t leaves on the nearest bushes - so not summer!

People on the beach at Burntisland

Big sparrows?