Glasgow Gallivanting: April 2026

24 Comments

We often go away in April to celebrate John’s birthday – and this year he had a big one! To celebrate we planned an equally big trip – all the way across the world to New Zealand, travelling via Dubai. Given recent world events I’m sure you can see the flaw in that plan. Fortunately for us we had booked everything through Trailfinders who were magnificent and offered us a complete refund which we accepted with some relief. On to Plan B – we went back to Headwater, a company we have often used for walking holidays, to see what was available at the right time. And so we ended up in Malta – which might have been Plan B but turned out to be wonderful all the same. We had a week on the smaller island of Gozo with a few days in Valletta at the end. We did wonderful walks along paths bordered by flowers, none of which were ever far from the sea or an interesting village with an enormous church. Much more to follow soon.

And Birthday Boy? He loved it!

Last dinner of his 60s
Surprised by cake at breakfast
First dinner of his 70s

Of course, other things happened in April too. It was good to get some sunshine in Malta, because before we went away this happened:

Though, fortunately, when we came back the weather was more like this:

Whatever the weather (almost) John kept cycling. Amongst other things, he found a giant bath plug (?), the Top of the World, the Maggie Wall memorial in Dunning, and a path where it was very handy that he and Mark had both packed a pair of secateurs.

In public art, Rita McGurn’s bench in the Botanic Gardens has its summer coat on and Bella the Beither has grown her first fins!

In book news, I made two purchases with which I am associated in a small way. In Feminist Librarianship I am quoted in the chapter by Glasgow Women’s Library which even gets my name in the index!

Working-class courtship etc has a long history. It started around 2014 as a Glasgow University project which put out a call for relevant photographs. Mum and I sent in some old family pictures and as a result a researcher went to her house and took an oral history from her. (I’ve just reread the transcript after many years, and I can almost hear her voice. It’s lovely.) Fast forward to last year and Professor Eleanor Gordon contacted me to ask if she could use our photographs in a book. Of course I said yes, and having checked a library copy to make sure they actually were included (it’s a very expensive book) I bought it. Here, for example, are my great-grandparents John and Janet Sinclair with their two oldest children, John and Meg, and my maternal grandparents marrying in 1925.

My great-grandparents
My grandparents

There is an official launch for the book next week and I’m looking forward to going along with my copy to get it signed. I’m sure there will be more to tell about this in May’s Gallivanting post. In the meantime, my April Gallivanting is linked to Natalie’s Monthly Wrap-Up. Enjoy May!

Scotland, UK , , ,

24 Comments »

  1. Happy Birthday to John! As a family historian, I am thrilled for you that your family were included in the book and also that you have a transcript of your mother’s interview with the historian. On the subject of family history, my grandparents lived in Malta in the late 1940s and ’50s and I visited in the 1990s to retrace their steps. I thought both Malta and Gozo were lovely so I am sure you really enjoyed your time there.

    Like

  2. I always go down a rabbit hole with your posts looking up locations! Top of the World had far too many hits to figure out which one it was. Great pivot to Malta but sad for you both that NZ didn’t happen as it is amazing. That tRump has a lot to answer for. As to the huge bathtub drain – art works in mysterious ways!

    Like

    • I’m sure this Top of the World is one of the least glamorous! It’s a hill favoured by cyclists to the north of Glasgow, I don’t know that there’s much else to see. The bath plug might have something to do with the canal, not sure. Mysterious as you say.

      Like

  3. I think I’ve said this before…my! you do get around! Looks like a great holiday in Malta and well done Trailfinders. We always used them and they were always so careful, caring and competent!! I love the facts behind the book and photos…that really is exciting. I’ll have to see if our library has the book in and check the index!

    (I’m having trouble posting on another WordPress site so I hope my comment doesn’t mess things up for you!)

    Like

  6. What a fabulous April for so many reasons. Happy birthday John. And Malta seems a very acceptable substitute for NZ. Now M can’t really do walking any more, it seems we’ve missed our moment for that one. Marvellous book news! Well done. We have a whole bunch iof family wedding photos from way-back-when that we simply can’t identify. So sad. No longer any point in keeping them really. And I love that bench!

    Like

  7. Happy birthday to John, and kudos to Trailfinders for the complete refund! I’m glad Malta proved to be such a successful Plan B for you both. I’ll look forward to hearing more about it. And how wonderful to have those old family photos included in that book 😀

    Like

  8. Happy birthday John! Sorry you didn’t get to go to New Zealand as it is a wonderful country but Malta is indeed a very nice alternative. We went in Sept 2014 so everything was burnt by the dry summer so not many flower so I see that going in April is a good choice. Glad you had another good month. (Suzanne)

    Like

  11. It sounds like you had a lovely time away Anabel, I look forward to reading more about it. I love the yarn bombed bench, and Bella looks better every time you photograph her. How lovely that you and your family are featured in two different books, your photos look lovely and I hope you manage to get your copy signed.

    Like

Leave a reply to lletty Cancel reply