Category: Alex

Some said how alarming – 23 April 2023

Posted on by Zogman

… and some said how funny. An alarm call at 3pm. Just testing, they said.

There wasn’t much to say about today. It was a usual Sunday. We walked down to the shops and got the makings of lunch, milk and a bag of donuts. Donuts because it was Sunday if you need a reason.

After lunch I was doodling on the computer trying out a new toy Adobe had added to Lightroom and not told anyone. It was very clever. I’m sure you’re not at all interested, so I won’t waste your time. However, at 2.59 precisely according to my computer the most awful racket started. Of course, it was our early warning that the world is going to end or the SNP have spent half a million pounds on a waste paper basket, or something equally unlikely. The testing of the system. Thank goodness it only lasted for ten seconds. Total waste of money and time.

Later I went out looking for a pedestal to box in the pipes behind the wash hand basin in the downstairs toilet. I thought I might get one in B&Q, but couldn’t see any. I asked the assistant at the bathroom section and she searched the B&Q website, but there were none available online. I could have got one in Screwfix, but they close at 4pm on a Sunday and what time was it on my phone when I looked? That’s right, 4pm! I might try them tomorrow.

I left the search until tomorrow and headed out for some peace and quiet up at Fannyside. Beautiful light on the road across the moor and I managed to grab a few photos of the new line of windmills on a ridge one by Airdrie. PoD went to favourite view of mine between two stands of Scots Pines, looking over to the Campsies in the distance with a beautiful cloudscape overhead. It’s nice to just see it rather than fake it.

Dinner tonight was Jersey Royal potatoes and Broccoli with a Tuna steak for Scamp and Lamb burgers for me. Pudding was Meringue with Whipped Cream, Raspberries and Blueberries. Looked good and tasted even better.

Spoke to Jamie later and it seems that they have had a gardening week just like us. Nothing to report on both ends of the conversation, which is good.

Watched another two episodes of Magpie Murders. Confusing and enthralling at the same time. Thank you Alex for that.

I don’t think we have any plans for tomorrow at this time.

 

Off for a bit of culture – 13 April 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Meeting my brother for a wander around the West End. Glasgow West End, obviously!

Scamp was adamant that she didn’t need or want the car today, so I thanked her and drove to the station to catch a train to Glasgow. Did a bit of window shopping in JL, but it gets poorer every time I visit the “toyshop” where they keep all the cameras. Except there were no cameras for sale there, just second-hand laptops or iPads. Not called second-hand of course. They were “refurbished” or “returned goods”, but everyone knows what they are. Nothing worthwhile for me.

Walked down to Buchanan Street bus station to meet Alex and we got a bus out to Kelvingrove. We had walked a fair bit, must have been about 100m, so we had to take a break for lunch. By then the crowds had gathered to listen to the organist’s daily recital and we left, but not before I took a shot of three men in a dark corner of the main hall. One was a statue, one was a human, one was a painting, but they are all men, all looking in different directions, as men do! I’d only noticed the statue when I was taking the shot, but the other two were revealed when I was processing it at home, and it became PoD.

We left by the back door, which, allegedly is really the front door. Google “kelvingrove art gallery back to front” and make your own mind up. There’s definitely a coverup somewhere.

We walked up the hill in the general direction of Glasgow University and found the Hunterian Art Gallery. There we wandered round the rooms within the gallery all hung with paintings some with labels, but most not. I couldn’t really understand the reasoning. The guide states that it’s the way pictures used to be hung. I think they were just too lazy to label them, or maybe they’d lost the original labels and didn’t know what was in the pictures, especially the abstracts.

I enjoyed looking at the paintings, especially those by Samuel Peploe and Edward Hornel, but I knew Alex wasn’t really impressed, so we went in search of the Hunterian Museum which is nearby, but tucked away in a corner of Glasgow University. That’s Scotland for you. Hide away the good stuff or folk will want to come in and look at it!

All the things that were wrong with the gallery were sorted in the museum. There were some horrible looking things preserved in formalin in glass jars. But there were also fascinating things like an Egyptian mummy in its sarcophagus and an ancient computer that was constructed to solve complex algebraic functions and seemed to be run by allowing balls to run over metal tracks. I wish now I’d taken more time to photograph the building itself with its exposed wooden trusses in the roof. I might go back again some time, all being well.

When we had had enough culture for the day we returned to Kelvingrove for a coffee and a blether without the interruption from the organist. Then we went back into the town, got off at Charing Cross and walked down Sauchiehall Street. I caught the train home and Alex got the bus. We agreed that we maybe need to go further afield next time. I suggested Aviemore on the 50p express bus and Alex fancied Edinburgh, also 50p, but with a more regular service.

It was Chicken Milanese for dinner tonight and it was just as delicious as it usually is. Scamp was the chef, of course.

Tomorrow I’ve to collect my new glasses after I’ve given a little drop of blood at the health centre.

A day in the Toon – 30 March 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Meeting my brother for a walk, some photos, a spot of lunch and a blether.

His choice was Glasgow and my choice was Glasgow too today. However, his idea was a walk round what we could call the City Centre, while I wanted to head out to the west in search of interesting architecture. We combined the two with a walk round the city centre photographing interesting architecture. First though we had the traditional coffee in Nero and caught up on what was happening in both families.

With the updates done we headed off down Buchanan Street to get some photos of the subway entrance on Buchanan Street itself. It has a lovely green glass cover over the entrance, although you don’t really see the green tinge unless the sun is shining like it was today. From there we ignored all the retail opportunities on either side and Alex took some shots of the other, completely different, entrance to St Enoch’s subway station. It’s a futuristic domed glass cover, not at all like Buchanan Street’s green glass box.

Two in the bag for Alex. Next we walked east along Argyle Street which used to be a fashionable street for clothes, but is now a bit down at heel with more and more shops with closed signs on the windows and doors. A sign of the times perhaps. We were looking for cranes. Big, gigantic tower cranes. They were right at the end of Argyle Street. I could see what I wanted to photograph, but if I stood on one side, signs and traffic lights were obstructing my view and if I stood on the other side it was the old sandstone buildings that were in my way. The only way to solve it was to wait until the green man appeared and stand halfway across the road. Bingo, three shots taken before the lights changed! Of course, we both took a lot more than that, but they were only fillers. The ones from the middle of the road were the money shots.

We walked round and had a cursory glance at Merchant City Cameras which will forever be Quiggs. It’s not been the same since Mr Quigg’s son sold the shop. I think the present owners are struggling to keep it afloat. Not surprising as it’s only enthusiasts who are buying cameras when mobile phones do such a good job of capturing the moment.

We walked back to Miller Street to Paesano. The real reason Alex wanted to come to Glasgow. Best pizzas in town. Only bettered occasionally by the West End shop of the same name. We must try that one the next time we’re out west.

Next target was the GOMA in Queen Street. That’s where today’s PoD came from. I just liked the relaxed way that bloke was sitting there.

Our final jaunt was down the Clyde Walkway to admire the graffiti. I also grabbed some shots of the mirror glass frontage of the Archdiocese of Glasgow building which stands next to the much older St Andrew’s Cathedral.

From there it was the long plod up to Buchanan Street bus station, a quick hug and then off home on our respective buses.

Back home Scamp had retained the last of the Just Soup and that became dinner. We had a first run through of the new Quickstep routine and, as Scamp had told me, it wasn’t nearly as fearsome as I’d imagined. Another practise tomorrow if all goes well and we should be fit for Saturday.

No great plans for tomorrow, although Scamp fancies going to her FitSteps class. Having just completed over 16,500 steps today, I’ll pass on that class.