Glasgow Gallivanting: April 2022
It has been a relatively quiet month here on the blog because, guess what? It has been busy with gallivanting! We’ve been away twice, including a week spent in this sweet little cottage in Dun, near Montrose on the Angus coast. This leaves a huge backlog of posts to prepare, so for the moment I’ll stick to some brief observations of Glasgow in the Spring. It’s a colourful time!
The Botanic Gardens is looking bonny, and its yarn-bombed bench has appeared for the season. This is decorated in crochet-work every year by the daughter of Rita McGurn, an artist who lived nearby, in honour of her late mother. The current version looks particularly fine with its twiddly corners. I’m sure there is a technical term for that, so apologies to any crochet experts out there!
We found some more of Louise McVey’s graffiti ceramics in Dowanhill.
And a couple of new (to me) murals – the one on the shutter is in Argyle Street in the city centre, and is by Frodik; the one on the wall is by Mark Worst and can be found on West Princes Street in Woodlands.
These things just made me smile. I like the marketing ploy of this bagel shop on Dumbarton Road – and is this the longest (and most precarious looking) entrance to a cat-flap ever? Seen by the Forth and Clyde Canal at Ruchill.
On a beautiful sunny morning I ventured across the Clyde to the Southside to meet a friend for coffee. Last year, I did a post with various clock towers spotted around Glasgow and these two would be worthy additions.
We went to our first really big gig since Covid – Blondie at the SEC Hydro. Just us and a few thousand others. It was FABULOUS and I can’t believe Debbie Harry is 76 – boy, has she still got it. Normally, we would go for dinner in a restaurant beforehand, but for various reasons we couldn’t do that so grabbed a pizza at the venue. Not the best picture of John ever: eating pizza from a box balanced on a bin, hmm! Classy.
Hooray, my “career” as a women’s history guide has taken off again – I even have a booking as far away as January. This month, I have led two walks and given a talk, all for different organisations. The Glasgow Women’s Library Necropolis walk made it onto a podcast. We’re famous! The link is in the tweet below. The whole thing is just under half an hour, but if you want to hear me tell a story of witch trials go to around the 7 minute mark. After over 35 years in Glasgow, I imagine I have a Scottish accent, so I’m always amazed when I hear myself recorded – I still sound like a Geordie lass.
These are the fabulous women who run the Necropolis heritage walks and volunteer for Glasgow @womenslibrary!
They are also known as “History Detectives”!
Listen to “Flourish” now to find out about their work: https://t.co/ZXqPLE5wTc#WildForScotland pic.twitter.com/RruCsFRvqn
— wildforscotland (@wildforscotland) April 27, 2022
As we hurtle into a new month, can you believe that’s a third of the year gone already? I hope your May is a good one.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Another great post. I just wrangled the guinea pigs through the A to Z Challenge! But they had grass time, too, and I got reading done.
My favorutie place in the world, Treshnish Farm on Mull, has some vacancies that are cropping up at short notice at present. If you fany a trip up there, you should check their website out…
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Thanks – I have Treshnish Farm bookmarked twice I discover! Will definitely check it out when we next go to Mull.
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I’m slowing catching up in The Reader with favourite bloggers. Nice to know you are gallivanting with a vengeance these days and I look forward to reading your posts down the line.
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Good to see you, Mari!
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Very jealous you saw Blondie, she was a favourite of mine in the eighties, it’s great to hear she’s still got it.
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We’ve seen them a few times, though only after their late 90s revival. Always great!
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You probably know all the words by heart
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Not quite all, but a lot!
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Lovely. You are always doing such lovely gallivanting…
We have also been away in March-April; a trip to Guadeloupe. We have just started posting our pictures. We are a bit slow processing our pictures. (Suzanne)
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That sounds interesting! I am slow too, I now have three (all Scottish) trips to write up. It’s good to be able to gallivant again!
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Lots of fun things to see (and hear) on this gallivant! I enjoyed the cat ramp – someone put a lot of effort and material into that. The bench is awesome. So fantastic the Debbie Harry is going strong at that age.
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That person must really love their cat! As for Debbie, she is a wonder.
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Great to see the street art! Love a good Frodrik, and the ceramics are very surprising. We always know spring has arrived when the bench in the Botanics is woolly again.
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Yes, I have another Frodrik (at Stockline Plastics) which I took after I’d written this post, so will include in May.
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Once a Geordie… loved the bench. Now that is real skill. And glad you’re back gigging though these days I realise tinnitus is more of a threat so tend to filter the dB through earplugs…
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The bench is quite something! I haven’t resorted to earplugs – yet.
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Hi, Anabel – I’m delighted that you and John have resumed your gallivanting. Being away twice in one month, including a full week away, is awesome. Richard and I have our first big trip (read here two weeks away in a different Canadian province) coming up soon. We can’t wait!
The yarn bench is amazing – what a wonderful tribute to the artist’s mother. And Debbie Harry still performing?! I agree with the comment that perhaps healthy lifestyles have been overrated. Sigh! 😀
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Thanks Donna. As I said to Bob, sometimes I think longevity is just luck! I’ll stick with the healthy lifestyle just in case though …
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Like the cat flap. Surprised Blondie and D. H. are still touring. Ex heroin users and former racy lifestyles at 75. The Rolling Stones still going. Chain smoking Winston Churchill and June Brown past 90 before they popped off . Maybe this healthy living thing is overrated!
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I sometimes think it’s just luck! Not sure when Debbie Harry cleaned up, but maybe it was long enough ago for the effects to have worn off.
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That bench is really something and I love the graffiti ceramics. Woh, Blondie. I went to see them in Blackpool , 2007ish. Debbie Harry is such an icon. X
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I think the first time we saw Blondie was c2003 when Debbie was well into her 50s. I was amazed then and I’m amazed now!
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