A Semblance of Normality

Today life has fallen back towards something resembling normality. The drama of yesterday is more or less put back in it’s box - at least for a couple of weeks - and the ebb and flow of life has returned. Which is nice.

So our job for the day was pumpkin picking at the Cawdor Pumpkin Patch. The weather has taken a turn for the more “autumnal” so it was a wee bit on the bleak side! But the coffee was good! We returned via Nairn and a spot of retail therapy in Sainsbury’s as the boys needed new PJs and theirs are somewhat nicer quality than Tesco’s!

When we got home I had another delivery of dark room paraphanalia ready for a project I am going to do with Angus over the fornight holiday. I then remembered that my chemicals are not entirely child safe… so went and ordered a set of film chemicals that are based on nothing more dramatic than Vitamin C and a paper developer which is much the same. I think some of the other things are vinegar based… I could have made it all at home, but that would have necessitated buying in more hardware and a vast amount of raw chemicals, which I will have a go at eventually - just not right now! He has a basic camera arriving from Analogue Wonderland in a day or two along with a couple of rolls of Kentmere 400, a very cheap film and one that I haven’t really taken too myself as its a little bland… but it is pretty forgiving and predictable so it should work well in the super basic compact I have got for him! I am thinking that if we can get some nice photos out of it we will make a concertina book that he can then take in to school next term. Something a little different - and he does like his arts and crafts!

Otherwise I am honing in on starting the new project which is going to be based on a number of series, all single edition prints and all analogue. I am going to run each series by glen on this project with no more than 10 photoraphs per series… and my first glen… I think it may be Glen Moriston… which is an unusual starting point generally speaking, but an interesting and largely un-celebrated corner of the Highlands which really speaks to me! It is, however, rich in stories, song and folklore and this gives me an interesting starting point!

10th October 2026