Glasgow Gallivanting: November 2020

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November was a dark month in many ways: the nights were drawing in rapidly, the weather was often miserable, and virus restrictions got tighter and tighter. You could say that GlasGLOW, the annual light show in the Botanic Gardens, was a chink in that darkness and it was to some extent. As an outdoor event it was something to go to when everything else was closed, but it wasn’t a patch on previous years. Social distancing meant you were, quite rightly, moved on all the time and there weren’t many spectacles to stand and watch anyway. We were round in half an hour and didn’t feel that was worth £14. I actually prefer some of the pictures taken as we passed through the gardens in daytime.

GlasGLOW 2020
GlasGLOW 2020
GlasGLOW 2020
GlasGLOW 2020
GlasGLOW 2020
GlasGLOW 2020
GlasGLOW 2020
GlasGLOW 2020

What else? Glasgow University Tower on an unusually sunny day. Remembrance poppies at Kelvinside Academy, which was also lit up red at night. A package addressed to Super-cool Anabel Marsh, which I declare shall henceforth be my name. “The Monstrosity”, complete with skeletal riders, as spotted on Dumbarton Road. 13 Newton Terrace, formerly Belgravia College, the school for young ladies I wrote about after finding the grave of its Principal in the Western Necropolis. You can tell November has not been a very exciting month by the paucity of pictures!

Glasgow University Tower
Remembrance poppies, Kelvinside Academy
Remembrance lighting, Kelvinside Academy
Super-cool Anabel Marsh
Monstrosity on Dumbarton Rd
Monstrosity on Dumbarton Rd
Former Belgravia College
Former Belgravia College

However, having written the above in advance, the past weekend redeemed itself with a better day on Saturday. Time for a nice reflective walk along the canal: Extinction Rebellion protests, a fake crowd at Partick Thistle football ground, and a great view of Glasgow University.

Murano Street bridge with Extinction Rebellion banner
Extinction Rebellion poster
Forth and Clyde Canal reflections
Glasgow University from Forth and Clyde Canal
Forth and Clyde Canal reflections
Forth and Clyde Canal reflections
Partick Thistle “crowd”
Forth and Clyde Canal reflections
Forth and Clyde Canal reflections

Before turning for home we walked up to the flagpole at Ruchill Park for even better views of the University and Maryhill – it was only about 1530 and already sunset.

Glasgow University from Ruchill Park
Maryhill from Ruchill Park

Finally, to a feature that I have neglected for a while: Scottish Word of the Month. Its return was prompted by noticing flit as Wird o the Week (sic) on the Scots Language Centre Twitter feed. Flit, in this sense, means to move house, which I thought was appropriate because after this month’s election there should be a very big flitting in Washington in the New Year. A certain someone has been given his jotters (sacked), to use another Scottish turn of phrase – will he be dragged out kicking and screaming or will he go quietly? Time will tell …

I won’t be writing any more new posts until December’s Gallivanting – but in true Blue Peter spirit, I have some I prepared earlier. See you tomorrow for Day 1 of my Advent Calendar.

Scotland, UK , , , ,

49 Comments »

  1. Hello super-cool Anabel! Sorry to read that GlasGLOW was somewhat of a bust this year. Despite the dreary month and shorter days, you still had a diverse month and collection of photos. I love the sunset shot and the Scottish word of the month, especially in the example you used! 🙂

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  2. Your photos of the sunsets and afternoon skies are beautiful, Anabel. Although it is incomprehensible to me that the sun sets around 3.30 in the afternoon. Even in the middle of winter it’s not dark before 5.30 pm here.

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  4. I have to say I like your new name! And I sympathize…November was rather depressing here too, for the same reasons. I hate this virus and what it has done to our world.

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  7. Shame that GlasGLOW wasn’t what it should have been but thats to be expected in the current climate I suppose. Good to support it even if the entrance fee seemed a bit steep. Lovely photos of the city.

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  8. I often find those special lighting events are overpriced and disappointing. We have several here but I doubt we’ll go. Plenty of neighborhood displays. I’m glad that people are making an attempt, anyway, to bring a little happiness and seasonal cheer. Do the fake crowds do any fake cheering for the home team?

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  10. Love the new name; very apt!

    Our biggest Christmas lights event was cancelled this year, and there seems to be a lot less Christmas stuff around, both in shops and in terms of public decorations. My son, who works in retail, says that there are far fewer cargo ships coming here and they are really struggling to get stock. The upside is that they are starting to source local suppliers, so Covid may have a silver lining for some small businesses.

    Your canal walk photos are particularly lovely, and the sunset is stunning.

    Stay safe Anabel.

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  11. At least you have some lights. Here on the Isle of Wight nothing is happening yet, although we are Tier 1 and have been all along. It takes a lot to get them moving here but individual houses go all out with the Christmas decorations. One near me has an all-moving, all signing and dancing show from dusk to well after midnight starting 1st December usually, but there are mutterings from some quarters that it’s causing traffic jams, so WE SHALL STOP IT! Yes, it’s that sort of place.

    Thank you Madam Super Cool for the ‘light in the dark’ post, but tell me, how does one address your husband?

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    • We often have a few extravagant displays, but I’ve not spotted any yet, although I’ve seen more basic Christmas trees in windows than ever before in November. People must just be so fed up they want some colour.

      The Super-Cool title is mine and mine alone, it does not rub off on one’s spouse! 😉

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  12. I think November has been a dark dismal month for most people, I know it has for me. I like the colourfully lit arches at the Botanic Gardens and the sunset is lovely. Just a thought, I know your profile pic is small but if you’ve grown your hair out a bit then it really suits you – goes with the new super-cool moniker maybe 🙂

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    • It’s all pretty depressing, isn’t it? The new profile pic is from our October break in Fife, so a larger version will appear when I get round to writing about that. I didn’t set out to grow it, but for various reasons I hadn’t had a haircut since July at that point. I liked it that length, but then got fed up with the effort of drying it, it was so thick. It’s all gone again!

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  14. Although we live in the same city I often feel ,looking at your posts, as if I’m in a remote cabin on the outskirts somewhere, completely unaware of what’s going on, compared to you as an ‘it girl’ going to all the best parties as I so often think when I see your posts ‘Bugger! I just missed that one, maybe next year’ or ‘I never knew that was on either!’ :o)

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  15. Hi Anabel – the dark days are drawing in … with no treats to tempt us out. Your daylight Botanical night photos are better – I agree. It’s 2.00 pm here now – and is very gloomily dark … no sun and distinctly getting colder – but warm, I know, compared to you ‘up there’! Take care, stay safe and love seeing what comes along – all the best Hilary

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  19. Many illuminations are for driving only over here. Niagara Falls has a really nice one which was for driving anyway so it works out. You took some great pics and I can’t help that Santa decided to go by this new mode of transportation this year. My gut instinct is he will leave before the 20th and he certainly will not be there on the 20th.

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  20. Most of the gardens here are not doing illuminations this year, in fact a lot are closed until March. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are having a lantern walk, but considering the distance (takes an hour to get there) and the chance that it could be pouring down I have decided to give it a miss. Driving home in the dark is not my favourite thing. You have still managed to get out and about this month, I think I am turning into a hedgehog. In more ways than one!

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