October 2020

A Look at The Sea

I really enjoy my trips on a Cal Mac Ferry. My regular journey is on The Clansman from Oban going to Coll & Tiree. I jumped at the chance for a trip to Weymes Bay to meet some of their lovely staff. I never get the chance to talk to staff members much, as our Oban journey starts at 6am and I am too tired and sleepy to make conversation. Mental health first aiders Fiona, Callum, Tayloure and Kirsten have been trained to support colleagues who may be struggling with mental health issues. With all the Coronavirus and lockdown restrictions, part of the ferry company’s commitment to staff wellbeing, is having more than 60 workers recently qualify as mental health first aiders. Based across the network, they have been trained to spot the signs of mental distress and are available for colleagues who need to talk about any concerns they may have. The project is accredited by NHS Scotland. They were a great bunch and were laughing as we had about two minutes to do the picture, as the ferry does not hang about for long when it leaves port. The photo got a nice show in the Hebrides News.

A Lottery Award for Julie

Sometimes I feel humble when I meet some people. One such person was Julie Morrison. Julie is the founder of a growing Coatbridge charity supporting bereaved parents. I met her as she was named as the winner of the charity and community category at this year’s UK-wide National Lottery awards. The Baby Loss Retreat charity provides free retreat weekends at relaxing locations in Ayrshire and Dumfries for bereaved parents. Julie received her trophy from TV presenter Jean Johansson at a special event at the Westerwood Hotel. It is a privilege to be invited to work at these events.

Healthy Days For Me Now

I am a fan of vegan and veggie snacks, the low calorie count really helps with me trying to keep weight off and not ballooning to my days of old. So checking out a new range of vegan snacks for World Vegan day was something I was really looking forward to.  Ayrshire based Nudie Snacks sell award winning cauliflower crisps as well as other plant based treats. We had Tracey Hogarth founder of Nudie Snacks in the middle of a field on wild  October day. Sunshine and showers was forecast, so we all had our wellies on and umbrellas on standby. Finally one break in the rain and we managed to get some shots. In the final picture the day looks quite nice. On the way home I finished a packet of the crisps, which were brill and a packet of the delicious coconut chips. Some days don’t get any better.

Night City Scape

With the changing of the clocks from British Summertime and dark nights coming, I love the dark skies over Glasgow. I took a lot of the colour saturation from the picture but left the colour in the Nissan sign. The red really jumps out. The spot at Spiers Wharf at Port Dundas is a favourite spot of mine for a picture, which I used pass on my way home from my days at The Herald & Times. I could leave early and still not be too far away if I got that late job phone call.