Lochan na h-Earba

M and I had a lovely walk with Bruce and Caley to L a E.

It was one of these days when you set off wondering if you should have put water proof over trousers in the haversack too. It was wet at times, very windy and cold but as always; beautiful; and thankdfully we didn't need to resort to the afore mentioned additional layers. Any rain that ran off the jacket on to the legs quickly dried again in the wind.

Its a spot that screams out for the careful composition and the steady camera hold that can only be achieved by a tripod, an item which is absent from my small bundle of kit. I found one of these tiny table tripods in my desk drawer and lashed it on to a walking pole we bought in a sale years ago. I was feeling quite pleased with myself. Its first use in anger required a firm push into the peaty ground above the loch but unfortunately the whole assembly with my compact camera attached (weighty SLR use out of the question) was swaying back and forth in the wind. It wasn't what I had hoped for and the bracketing that I love to experiment with here was impossible. Well it was possible but the three separate images covered completely different field of views so using them in layers was impossible. I will just need to put four or five bricks in the rucksack next time.

After taking my first photos I extracted the pole but it came apart and the lower section remained planted in the muddy soil. Back to the drawing board or may be a camera store for a tripod.

I think M was quite bemused by my attempts and she collected a lovely set of pictures on her phone camera, the only device she ever uses, and never with a tripod.

Its PM now and we are about to watch a family DVD film, Oceans 11, I think though there are still some Bond movies to watch.