Glasgow Gallivanting: July 2018

83 Comments
Pollok House

As mentioned last week, we had a couple of boat trips in July – but where else did we gallivant? We enjoyed a sunny afternoon at Pollok House and gardens on Glasgow’s Southside. They spelt my name wrong on the potatoes though …

Pollok House
Pollok House
Pollok House scarecrow
Heilan’ coo
My potatoes?

Dundee

I gallivanted off to Dundee with Women’s Library friends (Anna, Beverly and Mary Alice) to follow the Women’s History Trail. Basically a series of blue plaques, it was interesting but not especially photogenic.

Anna, Beverly, Mary Alice
Dundee Women’s Trail

More colourful were the comic characters around town created by publisher DC Thomson.

And there was one of those lovely public art trails – Penguin Parade in this case.

Dundee Penguin Parade
Dundee Penguin Parade

Finally, at Discovery Point we admired the new branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum which opens in September. It contrasts with, and also complements, RRS Discovery (Royal Research Ship), the last traditional three-masted ship to be built in Britain in 1901.

V&A Dundee
RRS Discovery

Irish and Highland Famine Memorial

Famine Memorial Garden
Irish and Highland Famine Memorial

A new garden and monument to commemorate those who died, or emigrated, in the famines of the 1840s (caused by potato blight) has opened on Glasgow Green near the People’s Palace. Some of the inscriptions on the upturned boat read “Even the birds were silent in grief” and “O, my native land, you are on my mind” – very moving, but rather spoiled by the amount of time we had to wait for three small boys to give up clambering all over it. There’s no notice asking people not to climb on it, but I feel there should be out of respect.

Close by are other monuments that I like – the peace memorial to those who opposed World War One, the International Workers Memorial (inside it says “Fight for the living ; Remember the dead) and the lovely inscription to mouser Smudge, the only cat to be a full member of the GMB Union!

International Workers Memorial
Peace memorial
Sister Smudge memorial

Spotted around town

The longest Lego Bridge in the world is in St Enoch’s Shopping Centre. Who knew? Definitely not me!

World’s Longest Lego Bridge
World’s Longest Lego Bridge

Close by is an exhibition, presumably aimed at young people, on Civil Engineering. As well as photographs of current engineers it included some historic figures in superhero garb, and I was pleased to see some women amongst them. For example, Dorothy Buchanan who, in 1927, was the first woman to become a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Invisible Superheroes
Dorothy Buchanan

Somewhere recently I read about Edward VIII pillar boxes. These are quite rare because Edward was king for less than a year (1936), but apparently Glasgow has several and three are quite near me. I thought I had saved the blog post / article or whatever it was – but if I did I can’t find it. If whoever wrote it is reading this, please let me know! Anyway, I was pleased to spot one in Hyndland (forgive the skinny picture below, it was surrounded by waste-bins which I’ve chopped out) and will keep my eyes open for the other two.

The shrouded figure sleeping on a bench is by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz. It’s in Nelson Mandela Place (behind St George’s Tron Church) and is called Homeless Jesus. There’s a serious message here, but I think it’s lost through an obscure location – and something it has in common with the pillar box is that it was difficult to photograph because of the rubbish bags behind it. Another case of lack of respect?

Edward VIII pillar box
Homeless Jesus

Black and White Challenge

You’re all probably familiar with the Black and White Challenge – “Black and white photos of your life for seven days. No people, no explanations.” It’s been floating around Facebook and WordPress for ages, but it was on Twitter that I was challenged this month. These were my selections. Some you will recognise! I liked the way they turned out, mostly. B&W disguised some unwanted background details (e.g. – guess what? – a yellow waste-bin behind the fireman gates) and highlighted the sky reflected in the windows of the terraced house.

The last bit

I am finally completing Kim’s Sunshine Blogger Award with the last three questions!

  • In one sentence, what is your life philosophy? You never know what’s round the corner – so seize the day.
  • What do you want to do tomorrow? Well, “tomorrow” as I am writing this will be quite a routine day. “Tomorrow” on the day this is published, I hope to be near the sea again. I’ll tell you about it later if I am.
  • What is your favourite dish to cook, and why? John is a better cook than I am. I joke that my strength is bucket cookery – bung everything in one pan and, depending on the herbs and spices, it might turn out to be pasta sauce, curry, chilli or couscous. I’m usually in a hurry because I’ve found something more interesting to do and lost track of time.

Some updates from recent posts!

  • The Mackintosh Building is currently being demolished brick by brick, though the Director of the School of Art thinks it can be rebuilt. Residents and business owners who live nearby have not been able to access their premises for 5 weeks and are getting restive. I don’t blame them.
  • Remember the big Moon hanging from the ceiling in the Mackintosh Church? After Glasgow, it went on display in Bristol and was then bound for Austria – but it got lost in the post! Seriously – you can read about it here.
  • John’s sore knee is still sore, and is now officially arthritis. 😦 That’s a good lead-in to a Scottish word of the month – I’m going for hirple, which means to limp or hobble. We’re hoping the hirpling ends soon.

Let’s finish on a happier note – July was also my birthday month! How far can you stretch middle age out these days? A bit further than 61 I hope …

Have a great August!

Scotland, UK , , , ,

83 Comments »

  1. We spent our last anniversary in Dundee. You’ve got me of the mind to post my pics. I have a new ‘Wanderings’ tab needing populated and you’ve inspired me 😊

    Like

  2. That Homeless Jesus stopped me in my tracks. Quite a message there. On a happier note, the Penguins on Parade are adorable. And oh how I would like to take that RRS Discovery out for a sail

    Like

  4. It would be interesting to know how Smudge became a member of the union.

    I have osteoarthritis in my knees too. It is why I had to give up playing soccer (football), and I was also advised to quit skiing, but refused. (I do ski much more cautiously now, however.) In my experience, ice, anti-inflammatory medication, and elevation are helpful to reduce the swelling. It is also good to keep the joint moving if it is not too painful.

    Jude

    Like

  5. What a busy month you had. Belated happy birthday, and my commiserations to John in joining the dodgy-knee club. Turmeric is a good anti-inflammatory, so with a bit of luck you’ll get lots of curries. It’s pretty good in juices too (especially if it’s fresh rather than powdered) and in hot drinks with ginger, pepper and cinnamon. 😀

    Like

  6. Happy belated birthday, Anabel! And, wow, you had another busy and diverse month, just like other months. 🙂 I love how the ship was “juxtaposed” with the museum. I wanted to use this fancy word, and I think it fits here, wouldn’t you say?

    As for the kids climbing the monument/statues. Yep. Disrespectful. Where were the parents supervising? I can imagine how you felt, as I’ve been in many situations like this, yet, hate the confrontation of telling the culprits to “get off” or shut up”. For example, as I’m sitting here in the library reading and writing for a couple of hours, the two library employees have been yapping away loudly, the whole time… 😦

    Liked by 1 person

    • Juxtaposed is totally appropriate! The parents were at a picnic table some way away, and didn’t seem a bit bothered – I felt my hands were tied because there was no notice, which I definitely think there should be. Yapping library staff are a problem: I used to try very hard to avoid that, but one or two of my assistants were irrepressible. Giving them lots of work, ie not just waiting for readers to appear, was my attempted solution.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Another varied selection of interesting stuff, only half of which I knew about. Never knew about the
    Lego bridge, the Homeless Jesus or the Dundee penguins but have explored the Discovery many years ago and really enjoyed it.

    Like

  8. Yay for the elusive Highland cows, sorry, coos, which I somehow never manage to find when I’m in Scotland! I read the article, but I’m still not real clear on how you “lose” a 23 ft moon! I bet someone stole that cool thing.

    Like

  9. Somehow you always manage to track down wonderful sculptures and street furniture wherever you go. I wonder if I’m just a teeny bit unobservant? I’m sure I walk around here with a mental blindfold on. That is all to say that your blog is as usual, fascinating and full of interesting facts. Loved the unionised moggy.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Ah Pollok House. How often Annabell and I took the children there for a picnic. Annabell’s parents lived in Pollokshaws so we spent part of the day with them. Annabell and I lived in Cardonald and Bellahouston Park and Pollok Park were our playgrounds. Interesting about John’s knee. I had pain – had operation – had pain, now they tell me I have Osteoarthritis. Don’t believe it.

    Like

  11. Such an interesting month you have had gallivanting here there and everywhere. I smiled at the comic characters brought back memories of being a fan of and reading Beano every week and I love those penguin sculptures

    Like

  12. I love those penguins! My favs are the pink one and the one with the red in it…You have been busy! I think it’s quite special to have those mailboxes. The sleeping Jesus is very powerful actually and well done. One day I plan to be in London and visit that museum. happy belated birthday! I hope you had a great day and enjoyed your favourite meal. I love Rouladen and so I enjoy making it. I love red cabbage but I don’t like making that..hahahaa. Your black and white photos are quite artistic…I like the second photo a lot

    Like

  13. Happy birthday!
    What’s the GMB Union?
    If no one has mentioned, I believe historianruby posted the bit on pillar boxes.
    And lastly, I came across a Scottish word in a small piece in an Idaho newspaper from 1866: “hurdies”
    Apparently (according to Google) the original meaning was buttocks or hind quarters. But I don’t think that’s exactly what they meant when they referred to three people departing on the stage.😉

    Like

    • GMBU stands for General, Municipal and Boilermakers Union. It’s a kind of catch-all for industries which don’t have a specific union I think (though boilermakers sounds very specific to me). As a worker at a Glasgow Museum, Smudge would have fallen under the Municipal category.

      I had a discussion with Ruby earlier in the comments. When googling for what I had read her article kept coming up. However, it was something much more specific which detailed exactly where to look in Glasgow. I’ve decided it must be a print article I have read so will change my search strategy.

      Hurdies is another good word. Your definition is correct – and it can also extend to the hip bone. So any ache in the area of the hurdies can cause hirpling!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. I thoroughly enjoyed your blog post today. You’ve taken me to many very familiar places and shown me what’s new about them. I’m a fan of public art and sculpture so I always like to see new installations. That new museum in Dundee looks very flash. That whole area has definitely been rejuvenated since my childhood. I remember visiting Discovery (and its neighbour, the frigate Unicorn) not long after Discovery arrived in Dundee and it definitely wasn’t a swish area then.

    Like

  16. Happy belated, Anabel! In my opinion, you can take middle age to 65, although once close to that, it’s perfectly acceptable to reconsider.

    Love the photos as usual. We had colourful moose sculptures all over Toronto for a while – moose because it’s a Canadian animal. What’s the story on the penguins?

    Like

  17. How very thoughtless of them to misspell your spuds in your birthday month, Anabel! I hope you managed a good celebration of ‘not quite middle age’? 🙂 🙂 Doesn’t sound like your John is doing too much gallivanting with that knee. Is Dundee a revitalised place these days?

    Like

  19. Hirple is a fab word, though not a particularly fab thing to do. Hope John soon feels a bit better. Nothing like constant pain to ruin your day. And a bleated happy birthday Anabel. I’m all for stretching the middle-aged bit, but I hate that term. Rather daunting is the fact that soon I shall have to tick that last box on the age criteria on forms 😦 Now that makes me feel old.

    Like

  20. Belated birthday wishes Anabel. Well, I found an owl sculpture in Bradford-upon-Avon, today which was a surprise. Yet to explore Glasglow, unless you call a quick dash around in a bus back in the late 1980’s, an exploration 🙂 Yippee, for Smudge, now that made me smile. How lovely for people to mention his valuable input.

    Like

  22. Hi Anabel – lots here … I’d never heard of Pollok House nor your Penguin land tour … and the publisher brightening up the street signs … lots of fun things you’ve been doing … I hope to catch more anon … take care and enjoy August – cheers Hilary

    Like

  23. a perfect potpourri post if I may say; I was just reading about Owls in Bath now penguins in Glasgow. It’s obvious an avian casting season. But best of all the Bash Street kids… now there’s a trip down memory lane.

    Like

  25. Hi, great post! Was it my The Hidden History of British Post Boxes that you read? I do mention Glasgow had an ‘unlucky’ abundance of them!
    We’re heading up to Scotland this week – nice and timely post of the places we can explore when there. 🙂

    Like

    • I did think of you because I knew you were interested, but I don’t think it was that, because it’s from a couple of years ago before I followed you. However, I subsequently read it because when I searched online your article kept coming up! I’m now coming to the conclusion it was a book or magazine, so I might find it yet and track down some more examples.

      Like

  26. Happy birthday! I am about to turn 60 and am getting used to the idea (how did this happen?). We visited Glasgow two years ago, and this post made me smile. We loved the city, but obviously we missed a few things! Plus, with the Irish and Highland Famine Memorial, etc., we will need to come back to see what’s changed.

    Like

  28. Happy Birthday to you! July is my birthday month and this year we celebrated at Niagara Falls! I doubt we’ll be able to top that next year. I totally understand your feelings about children climbing on statues and memorials. We’ve really noticed on this trip that some people have no idea when it comes to controlling their offspring. We saw one of the big moons here in Montreal on Saturday evening. How could one be lost in the mail?

    Like

    • Yes, Niagara Falls is hard to beat! With the monument it’s hard – the boys were of an age where they probably didn’t realise what they were climbing on. You might expect to find a boat in a playground after all. The parents were across the other side of the lawn and seemed oblivious. I’m guessing the moon packs down flat for mailing, but it’s still beyond belief that they could lose it.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. So much to see in your post! The public Art trails are everywhere arnt they. They are a fab idea though. The memorial garden next to the Peoples Palace looks lovely. I hope you had a nice birthday.xx

    Like

  30. Happy belated birthday, Anabel, or should I say, in the name of potatoes, Annabelle? There are three extra letters for you! That Irish and Highland Famine Memorial looks very nice, but I agree, no one should be allowed to climb on it. Some things should be respected, especially memorials to people who have suffered. I love the colorful characters and penguins, the Lego bridge, and all your black and white pictures, especially the first one. August will soon be upon us!

    Like

    • Thanks, Cathy. Many people spell my name that way, or any other variant. Sometimes I correct it, sometimes I let it slip! It’s hard to know what to do about the monument – I did look for a notice, but as I couldn’t see one I didn’t feel I could ask the children to get off. No doubt I’d have had angry parents on my back.

      Like

      • I know about the name spellings. People always spell my name with a K, without asking, which annoys me. If I’m not sure about how to spell someone’s name, I try to ask.

        As for the kids climbing on the monument: You can’t really say anything about it if it’s not prohibited, can you? I remember one day I was walking on one of the many trails in Reston, and a man approached me and asked if I was a resident. I said no, but I live close by and he started ranting about how he had to pay Reston Association fees that cost a fortune so how did I feel entitled to use the trails if I wasn’t a resident? There are no prohibitions against other people using the trails, so I felt so angry that he had appointed himself police. So, no, I don’t think it wise to impose your thoughts on others if the place itself doesn’t prohibit behaviors. Of course, every place can’t have a list of all prohibited behaviors, so we do count on people (like those parents) to respect places and treat them well, by not littering or letting their children climb all over things! 🙂

        Like

  32. A nice round of adventures! Haven’t been to Pollok Park in ages despite being relatively close by. Might have to go some point in next few weeks after seeing your pictures. Hirple is a great word too.

    Like

  33. So many things to comment on this time. Whoever knew you had a variety of potato named after you! 🙂 🙂 I like the colourful penguins and the Discovery ship, and agree with you about the upturned boat memorial, as a mark of respect it shouldn’t really be climbed on.

    I love the inscription about the birds being silent in grief, and I thought at first the memorial to Smudge was for a cat from long ago until I read the inscription.

    A shame some of your photo taking was blighted by bags of rubbish left in the vicinity – why do people do it??

    I read about the moon getting lost in the post – it sounds funny but it isn’t really and must be very upsetting for the guy who created it. How on earth can someone lose something of that size?

    I hope John’s knee will improve in time, and I love the word ‘hirple’, it’s one I definitely must remember 🙂

    Like

    • There are worse things to have named after me than potatoes! I wonder if that variety makes good chips 😉? To be fair, the rubbish behind the Jesus sculpture was at the back door of the church building, which is now a cafe, so I suppose it was there legitimately for collection. I think they could have found a better location but on the other hand it maybecsuits the idea of Homeless Jesus. As for the moon, I saw some pictures later of the artist making the Earth and it starts out as flat sheets so maybe they dismantle it right down. Still can’t understand it getting lost though. I hope it was well insured!

      Like