Absent Minded

When Caley sees or hears a jacket being put on, a rucksack being picked up and perhaps even key words, or expressions we use unwittingly ahead of stepping outside, he cannot contain his excitement. He races back wards and forwards to the door, jumps ceiling heights and barges in to you. If you have a few things to remember it is incredibly distracting.
For his first morning walk Mrs SJR and I took him up Mealll Ruadh. I had the the rucksack, flash, old pole that I mount it on for remote use, tripod, big camera. Looking across to the Grey Corries the fresh snow on the tops was going to make a fantastic back cloth for any images I took here. On arrival at top I set about getting ready...

No card in camera! Big swears!

I had some stuff to prepare at the desk for Monday so I had to get on with that but I had the idea of walk two being to BH.

Very late afternoon I gave that clues to Caley again that such a walk was iminent. He did the usual mad thing. In this situation putting him in the car early settles him down. I should have done that. He knows then that he is definitely not missing out. Despite the distraction I ensured the card was in this time. I had the pole, the tripod and the rucksack. Unlike Maol Ruadh (over the back garden fence) , Bohuntin Hill is accessed by car, 15 minutes up Glen Roy.
We arrived at the viewpoint lay by and I normally assemble the rucksack ahead of letting Caley out. Pole, tripod, rucksack.... Oh No, the camera is still at home at the back door. An extra 30 minutes would see us at the top in darkness and make dinner very late. (I was cooking dinner tonight) Fortunately I still had the compact in my pocket and in calm conditions it can perch unclamped on the tripod head. (The tripod adapter remained attached to the SLR at home.) These days my compact battery is good for about 25 shots so in many ways it is a bit like being accustomed to the precious value of a roll of film. It was getting dull by the time we reached the top though the stormy skies looked amazing. The wind was bitterly cold and so strong that use of the tripod with an uncalmped device was impossible.
The compact does not like high ISO at all and the buffetted hand held shots were all border line shutter speeds.

Caley was five today but he is still the very excitable little puppy he has always been.