Halkirk Utd vs Bonar Bridge

Halkirk Utd played Bonar Bridge today. I caught the action late in the first half and for 15 mins of the second. Halkirk were winning 2-1 when I left.

Caithness Car Club - Golspie Sprint

The Caithness Car Club held the Golspie sprint at the Littleferry circuit over the weekend. A full entry of 70 cars from all over Scotland competed against the clock in 18 different classes. The races counted towards the Scottish sprint & speed championships and also the Highland speed championship. The dry weather helped many drivers to smash various track records.

Lots of Caithness drivers competed against the best in Scotland including the Coghill family from Stemster, with George snr, George jnr, Nicola & Carolyn. The top Caithness driver was James Brims in the Gould GR37 owned by Autoparts of Thurso (above), Autoparts of Thurso also sponsored the event.

It was my first time at a car sprint and I tried various camera settings to see which worked best. The very dull weather did not help as the photos tend to come out flat. I have processed some photos to try and make them more dramatic.

Wick Academy vs Rothes

Wick beat Rothes 7-1 in the Highland League today. The Rothes keeper was sent off after 21 mins for a last man foul on David Allan. New signing Sam MacKay (above) made his full debut, scored a hat-trick and was voted man of the match. The fee paid to Deveronvale for Golspie based Sam was undisclosed, but it looks like a shrewd buy.

Subs Gary Weir, Alan Farquhar and Ross Allan tormented the Rothes defence when they came on mid-way through the second half. With Martin Gunn back for the next match, Academy's squad is the strongest they have had. I must find out the odds for Academy winning the league, must be worth a tenner.

It was raining all day in the Thurso area, but Wick was bright and sunny with a strong breeze.

Wick Street Theatre - A Sinclair Odyssey

The streets and harbour of Wick held a spectacular street parade tonight. Theatre Modo in association with Lyth Arts Centre presented "2009: A Sinclair Odyssey". The legendary and adventurous voyage to America by Sir Henry Sinclair was magically brought to life by a cast of 300 children.

The giant puppet, stilt walkers and fire dancing were particulary impressive. A moving audience of approx 1,000 followed the parade from Market Square to the harbour, where the show ended with a firework display.

The low light and constant moving made it very challenging to get good photos. I used a slow shutter speed for the fire dancing to try and get a "sculpture" of fire.

Bon Jovi Tribute Band - Bad Name

Brilliant Bon Jovi tribute band - Bad Name (from Edinburgh) - played at Wick's Waterfront last Saturday. They got the crowd rocking right from the off and went down a storm. Check-out their website www.bad-name.com.

I went along especially to take some pics and struggled with the poor lighting. I made full use of my new 50mm f1.8 prime lens, which I was trying out for the very first time. The lead guitarist Gavin Buckley, saved the day by giving me some classic gig action to capture.

The next big gig at the venue is the famous "Smokie" who are playing on 3rd October. Tickets are £35 and are going fast.

Pony Club North Cup Competition

The Caithness branch of the Pony Club held the annual North Cup competition yesterday at Northfield, Halkirk. It is a one day event (dressage, showjumping & cross country) for all branches north of the Forth. After a very sunny start, around 70 riders braved the constant rain and soft conditions.

A huge Orkney contingent were delighted when it was announced that their team won the cup, just ahead of Caithness.

August SWPP Awards

The results of the SWPP monthly competition for August are just out and I'm pleased to have been awarded with 3 silvers. My tally for this year is now 3 golds and 13 silvers.

The photos are of the Berlin Circus which arrived in Thurso in early August, a landscape of the Lake District taken in June and a photo from the 2008 Latheron show of some young riders on shetland ponies.

All 3 were converted to black & white to give more striking impact.