Glasgow Gallivanting: December 2022

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First of all, a rather belated Happy New Year to you all! I hope the festive season was as good for you as it was for us. December was very busy socialising with friends and family in Glasgow, but on the 20th we went away to a cottage in the Borders for a week and just blissed out by ourselves. One day I will write that up, but it joins a very long queue! We didn’t have a white Christmas, but there was a light dusting of snow on Boxing Day, and when we left on the 27th this was the scene.

Marl Moss Cottage on the 27th December

I might already have bored you stupid with pictures of the new Stockingfield Bridge over the Forth and Clyde Canal, but I’m afraid there’s more. In December we had the official opening – great excitement! We visited with friends and had a lovely evening.

The event began with a procession of paddleboarders and a boat decked out as a swan. Unfortunately, a pair of real swans were caught between two groups of paddleboarders and weren’t at all happy. They took off suddenly, knocking one paddler into the water! You can see the rescue operation going on in the bottom left corner below.

At 4.30pm the bridge officially opened with a light show, after which we wandered round the other installations before heading for an Indian restaurant to warm up with a curry.

Light show
Light show
Light show
John, Jayne, Mark, Keiko and Kostas
Light show
Light show
Chinese dragon
Tree installation
Mast lit up
Fire dancer
From viewing platform
Mast lit up
Sea serpent and dragon
Car installation

You might remember that during November’s WalkingSquares Challenge I included the first image below. It’s a memorial to Sub Officer Adrian McGill of the Glasgow Fire Service, part of the Firefighters’ Heritage Trail, which is set into the pavement near the spot where he died 50 years ago. I read at the time that a red plaque had also been installed at Maryhill Fire Station to mark the anniversary, and at the beginning of December I walked up there to seek it out. A lovely tribute.

Memorial to firefighter Adrian McGill, St George’s Cross
Memorial to Adrian McGill, Maryhill Fire Station

Almost finally, here’s a random selection of shots from other walks in and around Glasgow last month.

Partick sign!
Street art at Kelvinbridge
Street art at Kelvinbridge
Christmas tree on Vinnicombe Street
Police dog statue in Pollok Country Park
Christmas lighting on Grosvenor Terrace
Canal reflections, Ruchill
Canal reflections, Ruchill
Canal reflections, Ruchill
Canal reflections, Ruchill
Art Adventure Trail, Erskine
Maryhill swans
Ruchill swan
Kelvinside Academy at Christmas
I’m still here! Last remaining Covid teddy
Orchid House, Botanic Gardens
Frosty Kibble Palace
Inside Kibble Palace
Inside Kibble Palace
Frosty River Kelvin
Frosty Arboretum

And finally, a bit of family history. I mentioned in June that I had lost my Aunt Elspeth, who lived in Brisbane, Australia. A few months later I received a package in the mail from Elspeth’s friend Mary – a collection of family photographs. Many I had already – some I know I had sent out to Brisbane myself – but I was overjoyed to find the two below showing my father with his three younger sisters in 1937. I have a lot of photographs of my mother’s childhood and youth, but hardly any of Dad before he met Mum, and had never seen these before. They were faded and torn, but I took them to a photography shop in town and they came back in December much improved. In order of age, the siblings are John (1929-2015), Annie (1930-2010), Elspeth (1933-2022), and Elizabeth, the baby and sole survivor, who was 86 in December.

Elspeth, John holding Elizabeth, Annie
Annie, John, Elizabeth, Elspeth

I had a quick look at my stats this morning and note that 2022 is well down on 2021. I know that’s because I have been blogging less and not because you lovely people have been neglecting me! Thank you for every view, like, and comment, all much appreciated. I shall continue to blog less for at least the next couple of months because I have several women’s history events to write material for, the first being a talk on the 17th which I have not yet started. I am going into isolation next week and it WILL get done! Wishing you a very happy January, and hoping you are more on top of things than I am.

Family history, Scotland, UK , , , ,

59 Comments »

  1. It’s always a joy to discover family photos which you’ve not seen before. I would have been delighted with a package like that. How nice of your aunt’s friend to send them.

    I hope January is treating you well.

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  3. That poor paddle boarder! The idea of real swans causing a ruck while a boat was decked out to look swan like floated by did make me smile! As we come into the middle of January I am nowhere near ‘on top of things’ but I’m finding contentment in the chaos. Happy New Year, Anabel!

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  5. A light dusting of snow on Boxing Day is okay, provided it wasn’t on the boxes themselves.

    How exciting for you when never-before-seen family photographs suddenly turned up. On a practical matter, I wonder if siblings named Elspeth and Elisabeth might have confused people.

    Unrelated to your post but related to Scotland, last night we watched the 1945 movie “I Know Where I’m Going” [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037800/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0]. Have you seen it?

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    • Ha ha, no, boxes firmly inside! It’s true, Elspeth is a Scottish form of Elizabeth so my grandparents must really have liked the name. Elspeth was always Elspeth, but Elizabeth became Liz. Yes, I have seen that film, and we have actually stayed in the Western Isles Hotel on Mull where some of it was filmed. I don’t know what it’s like now, but then (at least 20 years ago) it was very recognisable.

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  7. The bridge opening looks a magnificent event. Swans are big though aren’t they, I can imagine knocking a paddle boarder over in take off, could be quite a regular event. Shame the snowy scene came on your leaving day from the cottage, it does look idyllic. The photo restorer looks to have done a good job with your old photos. 🙂

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    • Thanks Sharon, I steer well clear of the swans! The photo restoration is great, both were creased, one was almost torn through and the other had an ink blot, which presumably happened when someone wrote 1937 on it. No trace on the digital copies (though I asked them to keep the date on).

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  8. Those old family photos are priceless! And I’m a little envious of your week alone around Christmas. Our holiday was great, but I’m sort of exhausted in the aftermath.

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  9. Great selection of images there, especially S.B. at night. Good to see it finished and it will give me somewhere different to go in Springtime on the bike. Happy New Year.

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  10. Thanks Anabel – and a Happy New Year to you both … sounds like Christmas was blissful – a week of quietude and peace together. A little white stuff is fine … more: not so.

    Good luck with the talk – I’m sure it’ll be fine … I’m just, like you, glad to be busy … that bridge looks amazing … and I’m glad the curry warmed you all up. Cheers Hilary

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  14. The official opening of the new bridge sounds like a great event, it certainly looks very colourful.

    How lovely to get some never-before-seen photos of your dad when he was young, you must have been thrilled.

    I love the dog statue, a Belgian Malinois and fairly recent, dedicated to all Scotland’s police dogs past and present. Presumably it will eventually have a plaque in that blank space 🙂

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  16. Once again, Happy New Year, Anabel. It is a privilege to follow your travels and insights regarding Scotland etc. All the best for the women’s events. I love the snowy countryside. We were always so excited when snow eventuated when we were housesitting. The small things in life.

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  17. Happy New Year, Anabel!

    Thank you for sharing the photos of the bridge opening event. It looks like a fun time – and I like even more the idea of warming up with a curry afterwards.

    You know, I never look at my stats but I would expect my views and engagement are way down too as I am also blogging less and not with much regularity. I don’t suppose such things matter much so long as we just enjoy the blogging for its own thing, right?

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    • Thanks Laura – the bridge opening was great, and there is nothing better than a Glasgow curry! I only look at stats at the end of the year, just out of interest. Like you, it is not what I’m doing it for. That also means I don’t feel too guilty when I backslide! Happy new year to Clan Pict.

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  18. What a lovely time you had over Christmas. I love the look of that bridge all lit up…UT looks like the bow of a ship. I love the dog statue and wonder what that is about. I am also happy to see how this firefighter has not been forgotten.
    It’s so nice to see these pics of your dad and his sisters when they were little. I wish I had pics of my dad but I doubt any exist. These are cherished photos. Happy New Year!

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    • Thanks, Birgit, we did. I don’t know the story behind the dog statue – it is either fairly new or I have been very unobservant! There seems to be an indented space in front for a plaque so maybe all will be revealed next time we go. Happy New Year to you too!

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  20. Great pictures, and great memories too.

    I wish I did half as much, but as I’ve resolved to walk every day this year (only round the block if that’s all I can fit in) I ought to take a leaf from your book and take photos of interesting things I find on my perambulations.

    Happy new year to you both, and lang may yer lumb reek!

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  22. What a busy, fulfilling and interesting month you had. Sociable too. Yes, blogging will definitely have to take a back seat for a bit … but come back one day soon! Happy New Year.

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  23. I knew you’d pop up with a gallivant or two sooner or later, Anabel. It’s a good sign if you’re too busy to blog. Real life is more important. Very best wishes to you and John for a healthy, happy year!

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