Glasgow Gallivanting: May 17

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Arran Ferry from Brodick Castle Gardens

In the UK, May is bookended by Bank Holiday Weekends and we took full advantage of both. May 1st saw us on a ferry returning from Arran after spending time there with friends, and at the end of the month we had a couple of nights in Oban.

Oban at dusk: view from our room

Full posts to follow! So what else has been happening?

Cousins

My cousin Tracy and her husband have just bought a new boat. We were able to inspect it before a family lunch at Kip Marina. Doesn’t she look delighted?

Tracy’s boat
Tracy’s boat

We also had dinner with another of my cousins, Ian, and his wife Lynn. No photos were taken at that event, but here we are as kids on the back green of our grandparents’ tenement flat. That’s their kitchen window behind us. I think this is 1971, so I would be 14 and Ian 4. His wee brother and my younger sister are also there, and a small girl at the end who, I think, must have lived in the same building. I have no recollection of her at all.

 

Voice from the past

Redby Infant School, Sunderland, 1963

While I’m on a nostalgia theme, how about this? As some of you know, I administer a blog, It was always sunny, for my Mum who is writing the story of her life. When she came to the section about me starting school I included the picture above and was surprised recently to receive a comment from one of the other children, the boy fourth from the left in the front row. He’d Googled the name of the school and up this popped! We’ve been exchanging memories and trying to complete a list of all the names. Can’t find me? I’m fourth from the right in the back row.

Talking of things popping up, and in the blowing-my-own-trumpet department, I was touched and delighted to find my name in Update, the professional journal for librarians in the UK (third paragraph). One of the most satisfying aspects of my career was mentoring and encouraging younger librarians so it’s great to know it was appreciated. Thank you so much to Jennifer for mentioning me.

The Elephant Park

Elephant Park, Maryhill
Elephant Park, Maryhill

Glasgow has many fine parks, and I’ve written about the major ones, such as the Botanic Gardens, many times. All over the city, however, you can find pocket-sized parks amidst the urban sprawl. Last year, these two concrete elephants near my home were sending out an SOS signal because redevelopment of an adjacent building put them under threat. When I passed by the other day they had obviously just been made-over (one still has its Wet Paint sign) so I’m hoping this means they have been reprieved.

The last bit

Four theatre / concert hall visits, three guided walks, a visit from my sister – I’m running out of time to write about everything this month, so I’ll quickly finish by returning to my programme of expanding your vocabulary with Scottish words! The Women’s Library guided walks that I’ve co-led have not been blessed with good weather – an understatement to say the least. Both guides and partcipants were drookit. If you can’t guess what that means from the pictures, click on the link! I have more walks coming up in June, so I’m hoping for better luck.

Louisina and Anabel
Philo, Anabel, Beverly and Louisina

So that was my May – how was yours?

Scotland, UK , , , ,

29 Comments »

  1. It must have been so nice to know you were an inspiration for a young librarian. What more can you ask out of life? It’s fun to take trips down memory lane, isn’t it? I love the new Scottish word (for me), drookit. That’s how I felt on my trip to Nikko in Japan! 🙂

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  2. Drookit – what a great word. I love being reminded of words I used to use regularly but since living in England don’t seem to use so much. I am making a conscious effort to try to remember to bring them into my vocabulary when I can now. Arran – it’s years since I went there. I think I was only there once, one September weekend, with a group of friends an we did a pony trek along a beach which was lovely, but not being a lover of horses and ponies, I was a little apprehensive the whole time. I love seeing these old photos – they bring back great memories.

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  4. You packed a lot in one month again, Anabel. So nice to get recognition and credit, especially in public! And what a treat to have those photos and the ability to find some of the old students back. My guess is that “drookit” means drenched, but I might be wrong. Both words start with the same letter anyway. 🙂

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  5. oh what a fabulous month you have had, so blessed 🙂
    Every time I read your monthly roundups I think I must do that next month, and then low and behold I find it is the 3rd of the new month!

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  7. Hi Anabel – wonderful to see the accolade from Jennifer – so heart-warming for you . Looks like you’ve had a fun-filled May … and seen lots of delightful places … looking forward to the posts – those elephants are a delight. Libraries are special aren’t they … and offer so much – cheers HIlary

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  8. A post with so much variety and different subjects I’m having to think where to start so that I don’t forget anything. Can’t beat the May weekends.if you are a 9 to 5 type worker – chance of good spring weather and nature coming back to life just as your nose lifts off the grindstone briefly for a glorious two long weekends.
    School photo looks spookily like mine at that age. Same jumpers, haircuts, clothes, line up of pupils, and wee ones sitting crossed legged at the front. Same position for teachers. Makes you wonder if they were all taken by the same schools photographer or if they had strict guidelines to follow regarding the set up for the photo.shoot.
    Libraries have always been a huge part of my life for introducing me to new books,records, films and art outside of the narrow confines of material I would actually buy for myself so like most working class kids on limited budgets it’s a great way to broaden the mind and a genuine ticket to adventure. I still prefer reading real paper books you can hold and keep in a bookcase although I write books myself on kindle as a fast means to get them out there without waiting years for a publisher to notice one. Hope like vinyl they will make a strong comeback as although they they need more space to store a filled bookcase or record collection is like a life CV of personal tastes at a glance for any observer walking into a room.
    Only discovered the elephants on a bike ride a few years ago as they are well tucked away. Still don’t know what they mean or the connection to that district though? Must look it up now.

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    • Thank you for the lovely detailed comment! Re school photo – it doesn’t actually look that different from my mum’s school photos in the 1930s! I don’t think children’s fashions changed much in those decades. Always glad to hear of a library fan! As for the elephants, I don’t know how they got there either and can’t find anything via Google except the campaign to save them – which even went as far as the House of Commons.

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  11. My May is when I pretended to be Willie – “On The Road Again ” which means I spent a good part of it traveling to meetings. One thousand kilometers from home and I was in the city of Mount Gambier, South Australia, for two days. Two days doesn’t sound like much but overall it’s a five day trip that covers some 1360 miles of driving, plus three funerals, volunteer word for the Royal Flying Doctor Service – RFDS- more traveling and illness (me). It’s been an interesting sort of month. Oh and today (1st June) if the official first day of Winter.

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    • Yes, your distances are vast! Sorry about the funerals and illness – hope things improve. I suppose I would get used to winter in June but it does sound strange.

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  12. What a great way for your Mum to record her memories and photographs. I like her description of you and your sister as being a bit obstreperous in your teenage years. 🙂 (aren’t we all!)

    And how nice for Jennifer to give you a gold star for your hard work and professionalism. It sounds like you’ve had a very pleasant month. I completed a single bed size crochet blanket for my daughter. She’s living in Canada now, so I told her she will have to come home if she wants to collect it! You can see photos of it on my Instagram page.

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  13. Another great post….and language lesson! “Drookit”….I LOVE it! And, unfortunately I will be able to use that word often in my neck of the woods!

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