Here’s some recent ones of mine that I like – taken in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Striped shirts.

Spaniel.

Bar.

Two dogs.

Ripped poster.

Pigeons.

One thing that interested me was the way that similar shops stuck to the same streets – one street would have lots of pharmacies, another street would have shoe shops and so on. What most fascinated me were the streets that were full of dress shops. Not just any dresses mind you: these were shops for ball gowns, prom dresses, communion dresses and wedding dresses. Dresses of wonderfully over the top designs, made from brightly coloured fabric.

What follows are some photographs I took one hot afternoon while walking around the few streets that contain the dress shops.

Murray (the vet) would tell me all about the animals: what was wrong with them, how it happened and what needed to be done to make them better. Once he showed me why it was important to worm your pet (a puppy whose intestines were so packed with worms that it had died). I would help to clean out the cages, exercise the dogs and feed the animals that were being kept in overnight. I’d spend ages looking through the veterinary medical books. Occasionally Murray would take me out on farm visits which I found fascinating. In fact, I’m amazed that I ended up a computer programmer!

Unfortunately I wasn’t that interested in photography back then. But I am now, and in late January 2010 I phoned Helen Bell at the Stewartry Veterinary Centre (Castle Douglas, Scotland) to see if I would be able to go along to the clinic and photograph them and their patients. Helen pretty much agreed straight away and the following week I went in for my first day at the Stewartry Veterinary Centre.

4^th February 2010 – Clinic – Meg waits for her cage to be cleaned.

Meg was a farm dog who was hit by a vehicle (probably a truck or large van) and suffered severe spinal injuries. After extensive surgery she needed someone to hold a harness around her middle to support her back legs and enable her to stand – she could walk with great difficulty and only with assistance. She went home after a week but her condition was not improving. No function was returning to her back legs – her spinal injuries were obviously greater than previously thought (it is very difficult to assess the extent of spinal injuries) and she had most likely suffered complete severance of the spinal cord. Meg was put to sleep about 3 weeks after her accident.

4^th February 2010 – Barnbackle – Testing for BVD.

To test for BVD David takes a blood sample from a prominent vein under the cow’s tail. Only ten cows from the herd were tested as the herd had spent the winter in the barn and if BVD had been present then it would have spread through the herd. The cow is led in to a cattle crush which holds the animal safely while they are examined.

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is a viral disease of cattle caused by a pestivirus (similar to Border Disease virus in sheep and swine fever virus in pigs). It has many different manifestations in a herd, depending on the herd’s immune and reproductive status. Transient diarrhoea, mixed respiratory infection, infertility or abortion and mucosal disease are the most common clinical signs of the disease and can be seen simultaneously in a herd. Due to its varied manifestations and subclinical nature in many herds, the significance of the disease has not been understood until recently, when diagnostic methods improved.

4^th February 2010 – Crochmore – Examining a scouring calf.

David examines a scouring calf, checking its heart rate and temperature to ensure that there is nothing else wrong with it. Treatment is adjusted as necessary.

Once a cow has calved the next big challenge is to get the calf through the first few weeks without scouring. Scours are the main cause of death in calves between 2 and 30 days of age. Calf scours is a broad, descriptive term referring to diarrhoea in calves. Calf scours is not a specific disease with a specific cause, but is actually a clinical sign of a disease complex with many possible causes.

On this farm early calves are kept in individual plastic huts with fresh straw as bedding. Keeping the calves separate helps prevent the spread of disease to other calves.

4^th February 2010 – Crochmore – Checking for pregnancy.

David uses a portable ultrasound machine to check if a cow is pregnant. He has the scanner in his right hand which he inserts into the cow and the pictures are displayed on the goggles he is wearing. Scanning is performed 4 – 10 weeks after the cow was inseminated to detect if a foetus is present. If the cow is not pregnant then it needs to be established why it isn’t. This could be because the cow was not inseminated at the right time in its cycle, the insemination didn’t taken hold or the cow was not observed to be in season and so was overlooked.

8^th February 2010 – Clinic.

A rare quiet moment gives the staff time to catch up on a bit of paperwork, discuss cases or just to relax for a few minutes and have a cup of tea and a chat. That’s Will’s dog, Amber, wanting some attention.

8^th February 2010 – Clinic – Scrapie.

This sheep had died overnight and was brought in by the farmer the next morning. As part of a national scheme for scrapie testing David is removing the head so it can be sent to the lab for testing.

The sheep’s head was put in a bucket and then taken to the local lab for analysis.

Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease that affects the nervous systems of sheep and goats. It is one of several transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which are related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow disease”) and chronic wasting disease of deer. Like other spongiform encephalopathies, scrapie is caused by a prion (an infectious agent that is composed primarily of protein). Scrapie has been known since the 18th century (1732) and does not appear to be transmissible to humans.
The name scrapie is derived from one of the clinical signs of the condition, wherein affected animals will compulsively scrape off their fleece against rocks, trees or fences. The disease apparently causes an itching sensation in the animals. Other clinical signs include excessive lip-smacking, altered gaits, and convulsive collapse.

Since 1993, by law, any animal suspected of having scrapie must be reported to the local Animal Health Divisional Office (AHDO).

8^th February 2010 – Clinic – Calf with Septicaemia.

This 1 week old calf was brought in suffering from dehydration and septicaemia (a blood infection that probably got in through its naval at birth).

The calf was put in an enclosure with straw and a heat lamp. Will and Jennifer gave the calf antibiotics to combat the septicaemia and put it on a drip to help rehydrate it. Despite the treatment the calf died during the night.

8^th February 2010 – Clinic – Dog with mange.

Will washes a spaniel with mange while Ally checks a skin scraping under the microscope to see if the parasite is still present.

8^th February 2010 – Clinic – Clipping a cat’s claws.

Jennifer clips the back claws while the owner keeps the cat still. Sometimes it is a lot easier to get a vet to clip your cat’s claws.

8^th February 2010 – Caenloch – X-Raying a ponies hoof.

Will and Ally x-ray Peaches hoof to ascertain the position of the pedal bone.

Peaches the pony suffers from laminitis – a painful inflammatory condition of the tissues (laminae) that bond the hoof wall to the pedal (coffin) bone in the hoof. This can cause the pedal bone to grow downwards and eventually, if not treated, push through the bottom of the hoof.

8^th February 2010 – Clinic – French Mastiff suffering from GDV.

Gastric Dilation-Volvulus is a life threatening condition affecting mainly large breed dogs of any age. It is the result of accumulation of gas, fluid, or a combination of the two in the stomach. In this case it was caused by the dog exercising too vigorously after eating, causing the stomach to twist around the longitudinal axis of the digestive tract (this twisting is also known as volvulus). As the volvulus was greater than 180° the esophagus was closed off, thereby preventing the dog from relieving the condition by belching or vomiting.

Helen untwists the stomach of Tia (a French Mastiff) while Will holds a tube that has been passed down the dog’s throat to her stomach enabling any gas or liquid to escape.

The results of this condition include hypotension (low blood pressure), decreased return of blood to the heart, ischemia (loss of blood supply) of the stomach, and shock. Pressure on the portal vein decreases blood flow to liver and decreases the ability of that organ to remove toxins and absorbed bacteria from the blood. At the other end of the stomach, the spleen may be damaged if the twisting interrupts its blood supply. Tia’s spleen was engorged and had to be removed.

Helen closes Tia while Ally monitors the IV drip.

Tia made a full recovery and was back home in a few days.

11^th February 2010 – Clinic – Neutering a Greyhound.

Helen holds the greyhound while Jennifer sedates him.

Helen lifts the greyhound onto the operating table.

Post op before the greyhound is put back in his cage to recover.

11^th February 2010 – Clinic – Neutering a Collie.

Jennifer looks to see if the airway is clear before inserting an anaesthetic tube.

Jennifer clamps and ties off the blood supply and vas deferens (spermatic cord) after removing the dog’s testicles.

11^th February 2010 – Clinic – Checking the teeth of a miniature Poodle.

Jennifer holds the mask over the dog’s face to administer the anaesthetic.

Helen assists Jennifer to insert a tube down the sedated dog’s trachea.

After the sedative has had time to work, general anaesthesia will be induced and this usually involves an intravenous injection which is administered slowly usually into one of the veins of the front. Once consciousness is lost an endotracheal tube is placed into the windpipe through the larynx. This is then connected via tubing to an anaesthetic machine and maintenance of anaesthesia begins. This is a gaseous anaesthetic used together with oxygen. This ensures that while unconscious sufficient oxygen reaches the brain and tissues and at the same time allows controlled amounts of the selected anaesthetic agent to be administered.

Jennifer cleans tartar from the dog’s teeth. The teeth are then polished to smooth the tooth after tartar removal, as the tartar pits the tooth. A smooth tooth will not encourage tartar formation as easily as a roughened tooth.

11^th February 2010 – Clinic – Labrador that had been in a fight.

Jennifer sedates a Labrador that had been in a fight with another dog.

Jennifer sutures a 3cm wound under the dog’s eye.

18^th February 2010 – Clinic – X-Raying a cat.

Jennifer positions a lightly sedated Millie under the x-ray machine.

Millie was brought in suffering from unexplained weight loss. There can be many reasons why a cat is losing weight and it is a good idea to initially x-ray the cat.

Jennifer examines the x-ray of Millie’s abdomen. Nothing was found physically wrong with her so the weight loss could have been more psychological. Millie was sent home and has since started putting on weight.

18^th February 2010 – Clinic – Spaying two kittens.

Two young cats (sisters) wait in their cage before being sedated.

Lisa looks on while Jennifer begins spaying the cat. Cats should be around 6 months old before they are spayed.

Will looks on while Helen shows Jennifer how to find the ovaries of a cat. Spaying involves removal of both ovaries and the uterus.

After the operation Jennifer takes one of the cats back to its cage.

2^nd March 2010 – Finlay Black Craig – Testing cattle before exporting.

Helen takes a blood sample from a Galloway to test for IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis) and TB (Tuberculosis) before it can be exported.

8^th April 2010 – Crofthead – Internal surgery.

Will internally suturing a cow’s vagina that was torn due to giving birth to a particularly large calf. The cow was given an IV after she had been stitched up.

After the operation Will administers an IV.

For me, this was never going to be a long term project – I spent only six days with the Stewartry Vets but that enabled me to tag along on farm and home visits, sit in on consultations and observe surgery. I hope you found the resulting photographs interesting – they show scenes that most people don’t get to see.

I’d like to thank all the staff at the Stewartry Veterinary Centre – Helen (vet), Graham (vet), David (vet), Will (vet), Jennifer (vet – now working near Loch Lomond), Ally (student vet), Lisa (senior vet nurse), Audrey (vet nurse), Karen (student vet nurse), Aislinn (reception/student vet nurse), Anne (receptionist) and Pippa (senior receptionist).

Thanks also go to the farmers, farm workers and pet owners that allowed me to photograph their animals and also allowed me to show the photographs to the public.

Waverly Bridge, Edinburgh. 2009.

Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. 2009.

George Square, Glasgow. 2009.

Scott Monument, Edinburgh. 2009.

Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. 2009.

Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. 2009.

Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. 2009.

That’s all for now – but there will be more.

Willow brought a lot of joy and laughter into our house and was a great companion. She would know if either of us were upset and seek us out to try and cheer us up with her purring and rubbing.

She will be missed greatly.

Willow is survived by her two friends, Ozzy and Fluffy.

I spent the day wandering around Argyle Street, Buchannan Street, Sauchiehall Street and George Square etc. I photographed dilapidated buildings, interesting shops, a couple of street preachers and newspaper sellers. I found the newspaper sellers to be very interesting – each had their own pitch with a wee stand and usually a company umbrella to protect them from the rain which is never that far away in Scotland.

So here are some of the photographs of newspaper sellers that I took that day…

Sauchiehall Street.

Sauchiehall Street.

Sauchiehall Street.

Sauchiehall Street.

Argyle Street.

Trongate.

Gordon Street.

Buchanan Street.

St Vincent Street.

And, yes, I did get some photographs to add to my reading project.

Dalbeattie is situated in a wooded valley on the Urr Water 6 km (4 miles) east of Castle Douglas and 19 km (12 miles) south west of Dumfries in Scotland. The town is famed for its granite industry and for being the home town of William McMaster Murdoch, First Officer of the RMS Titanic.

Originally an area of rough grazing and granite outcrops, Dalbeattie forest was planted in the 1920’s, and now extends 6 miles south to the village of Colvend. The northern end of Dalbeattie Forest is known as the Town Wood due to its position on the edge of Dalbeattie town and its popularity with locals.

The forest covers 1100 hectares and is owned and maintained by the Scottish Forestry Commission. The forest itself is part commercial and part recreational and consists of large areas of pine trees planted for commercial use as well as areas of native trees.

Dalbeattie has been described as one of the most beautiful and well managed woods in Dumfries & Galloway – but that was before the latest Forestry operation of selective felling. A friend and fellow photographer first made me aware of the mess that the Forestry Commission had made a few weeks ago. Ian often walks his dog in the forest and he was very upset to find that practically every path he regularly walks had been churned up and pretty much destroyed by heavy machinery. And it wasn’t just the well defined paths that had been ruined – the machines had been taken off the paths and into the forest itself, knocking down any tree in its way.

Ian and I went to the forest on Sunday the 21st of March to photograph the aftermath of the Forestry Commissions selective felling operation. Below are some of the photographs I took that morning…

Main entrance at the north end of the forest.

Ian setting up to take his first photograph of the day.

Looking back to where the previous photograph was taken from.

The forestry machines were driven up inclines flattening young trees and scraping over granite rocks.

One of the main walkways. Near the centre to the right of the track is what remains of an old oak.

Tracks where the machines were driven into the forest.

Looking down from a granite outcrop.

Pine plantation next to one of the main forest paths. This is an area that is very popular with walkers.

Ian and I met quite a few people while we were photographing the forest – all of them were very upset with the trail of destruction that had been left behind. Some voiced concerns about the red squirrel population that live in the wood (Dumfries & Galloway is one of the major strongholds of red squirrels in Scotland). One regular walker said the she usually saw several reds while out walking but hadn’t seen any recently. I did see one but it was well away from the felling sites.

I realise that a forest has to be managed. Trees need to be thinned out, dead and diseased trees removed, but surely there is a way to do it more sympathetically – especially in a wood that is promoted as a place of recreation and beauty. To me it looks like they went at it like a bull in a china shop – with no regard to the way that the public use the forest or to the forest itself.

It is my understanding that part of the operation includes tidying up after the felling, but they have made such a mess in places that it will be many years before the forest remotely resembles what it looked like before.

Update:

My friend Ian Biggar went back to Dalbeattie Forest last week. Some of the photographs he took on that visit are shown below…

A tree marked for removal.

An untouched forest path - note the two marked trees.

Having read the book I started to see people reading everywhere. Then while out on one of my regular lunchtime photo sessions I came across the following scene…

Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. 2009.

That’s the photograph that started it all for me. Since then I went out pretty much every lunchtime on the lookout for more images of people reading. I am hopeful of exhibiting some of these photographs at Beyond Words (Edinburghs only photographic bookshop). I also plan on creating a Blurb book – maybe it will run on for several volumes as this project will continue for many years.

Here are some more images from the series…

No. 26 Bus, Edinburgh. 2009.

Royal Mile, Edinburgh. 2009.

George Street, Edinburgh. 2009.

Princes Street, Edinburgh. 2009.

Stranraer to Belfast ferry, Loch Ryan. 2009.

I will post more on this series in the future, so stay tuned!