Category: Glasgow

Happy Birthday Scamp – 24 March 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Breakfast in bed for her, then after selecting one of her ball gown, we headed off to Glasgow for a wander and lunch.

We got the bus to Glasgow and it was a slow bus that chugged away through every township on the way and stopped at every bus stop, I think. But we mustn’t complain, it didn’t cost us anything with our Bus Pass. The SNP are good for one thing at least!

Coffee in a Nero with a Cinnamon Swirl. The pastry was good, but it was a weak version of coffee in my cup – never happy!

We walked down to see the progress that was being made at the site of the fire from a couple of weeks ago. It’s still an alien place, nothing like the building that had stood there for all those years. However, work is being done and something will take its place soon, I’m sure.

Scamp fancied going to one of the restaurants in the Merchant City. It was her day, so she got to choose. She picked Santa Lucia near The Italian Kitchen.

Her starter was Cozze Ai Pomodorini. Shetland mussels with garlic, chillies, and cherry tomatoes. Her main was Sea Bass with Veg and a Lemon Butter sauce.

My starter was Bruschetta Classica. Chargrilled sourdough topped with a vibrant mix of cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. My main was Caserecce Salsiccia e Nduja. Twisted pasta with Italian sausage and spicy Nduja sauce.

Both washed down with a bottle of wine.

Good food in a place we hadn’t visited before. I think we’ll be back.

I had no camera with me today, on purpose, but walking back to the city centre I saw a nice shiny black car covered in raindrops with the message ‘Mother of the Bride’. And a few ribbons tied to the mirrors. That was an easy PoD!

We got the X3 bus back home absolutely stowed and with people standing upstairs and down. I think that’s actually illegal, but we weren’t caring, because we had a seat! The usual noisy, cheeky weans got on at Muirhead and began to show off that they could swear. They should be made to walk home from school. I had to do it!

We walked back from the bus stop in the rain and Scamp was just in time to catch a phone call from Hazy. I let them talk because it wasn’t my day.

Tomorrow we’ve business to do in Hamilton.

A belated blog post – 17 March 2026

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A wet day and a late night.

Scamp had Calendula to drop off at Isobel’s in the morning, so we drove down to the village, and handed them over. Stopped off at M&S on the way home looking for some fruit, but as usual there were none to be seen. Why is it that the smaller Tesco and M&S outlets hardly ever carry a full stock of the fruit and veg, while the larger shops have a glut of them and are selling them off as yellow ticket, almost out of date, items? Surely it’s not beyond the wit of the providers to provide! We drove home without the fruit and veg we’d stopped for.

In the afternoon, and after lunch I went for a walk in St Mo’s while Scamp stayed at home. A bunch of mushrooms at the side of the path through the trees caught my eye and in a short dry spell, I managed to get a few shots them for a PoD. Back home I did a bit of research and the outcome was that they were likely to be related to the Ink Cap family. So said Google and who was I to argue.

We were off in the evening for dinner with Crawford and Nancy in Larky. The rain had returned as a constant drizzle that is more annoying than full force rain. The wipers never really settle down to be intermittent of on full in that kind of weather, but we arrived in Larky at about our predicted time

A lovely dinner and a good blether with discussions of holidays, cruises and aches and pains. We’re off that age now when these things are important! We left just before midnight and were cruising along nicely when we saw that our exit from the motorway was closed, presumably for roadworks. Not to worry, we’d the sat nav on and we’d just pick it up at the next exit, except, it too was closed. After a lot of missed exits and more road closures, Scamp finally found a route through the east end of Glasgow and we emerged onto the M73 and back home just before 1am. Cup of tea and off to bed. Glad that drive was over.

Tomorrow, we’ll have a long lie in.

 

Glasgow Fire – 10 March 2026

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Wandering around central Glasgow trying to make sense of the world.

I tried to avoid going in to Glasgow today. A fire that started in a vape shop near Central Station on Sunday, got out of control and ultimately caused the collapse of one of the oldest buildings in the city.

I didn’t really want to go and see the damage, but I needed to find out what was going on in the 24-105mm lens of my camera. For almost a month now I’ve had this annoying screeching noise from the lens and the only place I knew could help was A. J. Johnstone in the centre of town.

Johnstone’s camera repair shop is really close to the, still smoking, collapsed building, but I got instruction from the company on how to find the entrance to their shop without going near the old building or crossing police tape. The company’s shop is on the fifth floor of an old building. There is a lift that carries two people at a time but only reaches the fourth floor. However, climbing the last flight to the fifth floor was a better solution that climbing up all five. When I got to the repair shop, the news wasn’t good. The damage was in the barrel of the lens and the disassembly and refitting would be at least £500 with a six month warranty. I had the feeling it wasn’t a repair he wanted to do, and I didn’t really want to shell out £500 for something that might only work for six months. I thanked him for his free advice and found my way out of the warren these old buildings are like.

I phoned Scamp to tell her the bad news, then headed back to the city centre. Then like all the others, I just stood and looked at the damage to Bothwell Street and Hope Street. There was an almost total silence from the people standing looking at what used to be a building they knew so well. Eventually I dragged myself away after I took a few photos of the devastation.

I got the Alloa train from Queen Street and phoned Scamp to ask for a lift from Croy to home. It wasn’t the day or the answer I’d hoped for, but I had already spoken to a salesman in WEX and he had sort of prepared me for what the repair man in Johnstone’s had confirmed. It’s not the end of the world. The lens still works for now, but I will have to save up for a new lens eventually.

One final note to self:
Remember what the man in Johnstones said. “Don’t buy secondhand camera equipment. It’s false economy.”

PoD had to be the view through the blue Police tape to the fire engines and the firemen still hosing down the remains of a once proud building.

Tomorrow, Scamp is intending to head east.

A day in the Toon – 7 March 2026

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Today we caught a slow bus to Glasgow.

I was taking my dodgy 24-105mm lens to Wex to see if anyone in the shop could tell me what was going wrong with it. About three weeks ago it started making a screeching noise when I half pressed the shutter button. I’d hoped that someone in Wex would know what was going wrong with it. Actually, there were two lenses with exactly the same problem, but to simplify things, I just asked about my favourite, the 24-105. It’s hardly been off the camera since I bought it and was quite expensive, even second hand. However, although the guy in the shop said he could hear the noise, he admitted he didn’t have the depth of knowledge to say what was causing the noise, but he did suggest that I take it in to A. J. Johnstone next week, because it isn’t open on weekends. So, sadly I took it back in my trusty rucksack and Scamp and I walked down into Glasgow looking for somewhere to eat.

We ended up in Wagamama. Scamp had Prawn Raisukaree Curry and I had Pork Belly Ramen and we both had a couple of dips to share. First time in Wagamama for ages, and we both enjoyed the lunch.

Went for a walk down Buchanan Street after that a bit hesitant as there was a lot of noise coming from the steps outside the Concert Hall, lots of shouting and chanting. It’s amazing how your attitude changes to these things with what has been happening in the world in just over a week. PoD was a separate and much quieter group of mainly men wearing saffron robes. They seem to be becoming more regular in Glasgow streets this year, certainly quieter.

We got another slow bus home. Just a normal X3 that was obviously taking its time to avoid arriving too early.

Back home we watched the first F1 GP Qualifying of this year with a few thrills and spills. The first one being the most surprising. Looks like being an interesting race.

That was about it for today. Lovely sunny, but cool day. Hoping for another of the same tomorrow.

An afternoon in the Toon – 9 February 2026

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This afternoon we drove in to Glasgow, looking for a table cover.

Every time I drive in to Glasgow these days there is another road pattern to negotiate. Today was no exception. Where there had been two narrow lanes to reach Buchanan Galleries, today it was one single lane going downhill. How you get back up that hill is anybody’s guess.

I did get parked in the Buchanan Galleries and chose a suitable table cover to give our Christmas table cover a wee rest. I’m typing on the ‘Snowman’ table cover that’s been on the round living room table since mid December 2025. Hopefully we’ll replace it with the new one tomorrow.

With the table cover purchased, we went our separate ways. Scamp went to do some shopping in Glasgow and after dropping off the table cover I went to the Nile Barber to get my hair cut. We met up back in Buchanan Galleries and drove home.

I’d grabbed a couple of photos when I was walking back from the barber. One photo of some pink primulas became PoD. I was tempted to remove the photobomber who walked past the flowers just as I clicked, but then I realised he was part of the image and kept it in.

We went to Kirsty’s dance class in the early evening and found instead of six of us preparing for the Quickstep, there were five children of varying ages and two adults who seemed to have turned up out of the blue. I pitied Kirsty who had to teach six adults who were looking forward to the quickstep class and at the same time teach seven children and adults who looked as if they hadn’t danced in years. Hopefully everything will work out fine next week. I hope so.

We have no plans for tomorrow.

The Continuation – 30 January 2026

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Now that I’ve whetted you appetite, here is the continuation and the explanation …

After I’d visited the skips and disposed of the unwanted goods, I drove up to Torwood Garden centre and spoke to one of the ladies who work there and asked her a strange question:

“Do you still have those ceramic chickens?”

She didn’t think they did still have them, but passed me over to a manager who said “Yes, we do still have them”.
The garden centre has been having a make-over since Christmas and everything seems to be a bit shambolic, but she took me to where about a dozen ceramic chickens were standing on a couple of wooden shelves. I chose one and paid for it right away. I don’t know what the sales ladies thought I was going to do with it! What I did do was wrap it up in some bubble wrap and tuck it into a box in the boot of the car, ready to be revealed on the 30th, today.

The Explanation:

Today, the 30th of January, is our unofficial anniversary. I won’t give away the date, but it’s quite a while ago! I wanted to surprise Scamp with a ceramic chicken. She had fallen for a comical black chicken during the summer and seemed so pleased with it in its place in the garden. The new one was a white chicken and looked just as cute as the first one. Today I presented her with a green compost bag and inside was the white chicken. I do believe she was quite delighted with the prezzy. She handed me a poly bag and inside it was two pairs of socks. Not just any old socks, but Merino wool socks of different colours, so I can wear different socks on each foot! Thank you Scamp.

To celebrate our special day, we got the bus to Glasgow, walked down to Central Station and caught a train to Mount Florida. We walked along Battlefield Road and reached the Battlefield Rest where we’d booked lunch.

For a starter, Scamp had Mussels in a Rich Tomato Sauce. I had Tomato and Black Olive Focaccia with a traditional Caprese salad.

For a main Scamp had Smokie Crepe stuffed with smoked haddock, salmon, and creamed cabbage, topped with tomato sauce and cheese. I had tomato risotto with Nduja, chicken and chorizo.

A generous glass of Malbec each to help wash it all down and to finish, coffee and a small glass of Jura for me and for Scamp it was Kahlua and a latte!

Phew! That was a lunch to remember!

We got the train back to Glasgow and had a quick wander round John Lewis looking for a new table cover. Too awkward to get it home on the bus, so we may go back soon to get one.

PoD was a view down one of the alleys that lead off Buchanan Street. That was about it for the day. Wasn’t it enough? We thought so. A very good day.

The diet probably starts tomorrow!!

Out on the town – 23 December 2025

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Just me and a camera. Scamp wasn’t invited. This was a man’s Christmas Shopping expedition.

Actually, it was a bit early for Christmas shopping, if I’m truthful. Usually I try to get all my prezzies organised and bought by the end of play on the 24th, and today was only the 23rd. But, let’s not quibble about a day, I was in shopping mode.

First I dropped in at the Apple shop, trying to find out why I couldn’t get the same controls on my iMac that I have on my MBP. It was while I was explaining the problem with a Genius that I realised my mistake. It wasn’t an Apple problem, it was a Lightroom one. Apple and Adobe are two different companies and I was trying to cure an Adobe problem by talking to an Apple person. He did offer a solution which went part way to become the answer, but emphasised that he was speaking as an Apple authority, not an Adobe rep. I thanked him and left before I made any more foolish mistakes.

I walked back down Buchanan Street going over and over what he said and taking a few photos too. PoD went to the Balloon Man who stands at the corner of Buchanan Street and Gordon Street, twisting and turning balloons into squeaky shapes that balloons aren’t really meant to be twisted into. It’s only when you examine his twists and turns, you realise what he’s doing and the shape suddenly changes from a saggy balloon into a Mickey Mouse or a Bow and Arrow. The best thing about him is that he never speaks to the adults, only the kids. They love him and listen intently to his stories. Clever guy!

I wandered further down Buchanan Street, but the light was getting poor, so I headed back up and made the daft decision to get the subway out to Byres Road to buy another box of Pastéis de Nata for Scamp and me to share. Well, I had lots of time, and could afford to be daft. I was standing right outside the entrance to the underground, so went in and I got a return ticket. About twenty minutes later, I emerged from the same entrance with my yellow box of little pies. On the way I picked up the last of my Christmas Presents and headed for the bus. I loaded my phone with some new music and relaxed into the music, gazing at the darkening sky as the bus took me home.

Back home, Scamp suggested I use up a couple of egg yolks to make Pasta Carbonara. It’s ages since I last made it and I think I made a good fist of it, although I must admit it wasn’t my best, but practise will help there.

We watched a couple of Christmas University Challenge programs. One fairly up to date, presented by Amol Rajan and another a bit older, chaired by Jeremy Paxman. Two totally different approaches to the same quiz.

We got some photos from Jamie and Simonne from Trinidad. It looks lovely, even if Jamie was bitten a fair bit by midges!

That was about it for the day. Dinner was good. Pastéis de Nata were good. What’s not to like

Hopefully tomorrow will consist of wrapping prezzies and tidying. Wrapping can be fun, but tidying? Maybe not so much!

A trip to Glasgow – 20 December 2025

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Today we went for a trip in to Glasgow, for no reason. Sometimes that’s the best reason.

We took the bus in to Glasgow. We were half looking for a small, under-the-counter freezer to give more storage. We already have an old unused freezer that is really on its last legs, so a new one would be worthwhile getting. We saw two in John Lewis. Just two. One of which was an ‘integrated’ model. It wouldn’t have been our first choice, but it would work quite well in the space we have. It’s on our list now. Hoping it will reduce in price after Christmas.

We also looked for a new Dyson lightweight floor sweeper (careful not to call it a Hoover!) We saw a few and I think Scamp will make the decision on which would be best.

After our wander through what JL had in the utilities, we walked down to Nero for a coffee and to plan what to do with the day. We decided to get the underground to Byres Road in the West End of the city.

We walked down Buchanan Street and listened to a Salvation Army band playing Christmas Carols. Scamp gave them a few pounds and I took some photos. One of them became the PoD.

We crossed the road and walked through the Argyle Arcade with its myriad jewellery shops and expensive prices … but didn’t buy anything. Instead, Scamp wanted to look in a shop in St Enoch’s Square, a ladies shop with lots of dresses. She found one which she liked and I’m sure she’ll send you photos of it if you ask her nicely, Hazy.

Next stop was the underground just in time to catch the train to Byres Road, where we bought some veg and fish in Waitrose. Some of the purchases might end up in tomorrow’s dinner. Across Great Western Road is the Glasgow Botanic Gardens I’d hoped it might have been dressed up for Christmas, but it wasn’t. However I did see some Pitcher Plants. We had some in the garden a couple of years ago until a dry spell killed them off. I think I’ll get more in the spring, all being well.

Oran Mor is a pub/restaurant that’s just across the street, so we went there for a drink that turned into a lunch. Scamp had Fish ’n’ Chips with a glass of red and I had a lovely Feather Blade of Beef with mixed veg and potatoes washed down with a pint of beer.

We walked back and picked up four Pastéis de Nata on the way to the underground, only to find there was a problem with one train and about a million folk on the platform for the other one. We didn’t have a choice and managed to squeeze on to the next stop where we got off and walked down to Kelvin Hall where we caught a number 77 bus which took us right to the Buchanan Street bus station. (Alex had shown me that trick a couple of years ago). We just missed the bus home by seconds, but hadn’t long to wait for the next one.

Back home we watched the final of Strictly and were surprised at the person who won!

Tomorrow we may have a relaxing day … hopefully!

A surprise meeting – 16 December 2025

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Instead of getting the bus today, I chose to take the car because I’d a few errands to run.

It was a cold morning with temperature around 5ºc for most of the day. Fog on the drive in to Glasgow and because everyone was shopping, the roads were a bit busier than normal. Also, the first available parking spaces I could find were up on level 7 in Buchanan Galleries. That meant I was going to be late for my meeting with Alex.

I met him in the bus station as usual and was only about ten minutes late. As usual we went for a coffee and caught up with all the gossip before heading down Buchanan Street. The fog wasn’t lifting much but the sun did a bit of back lighting that brightened the day.

We walked through St Enoch’s square, looking for anything interesting to photograph, but found little. Our next stop was the Clyde Walkway where we got a few shots of a guy up a ladder doing a bit of stylish graffiti. I found a lovely bit of light under the footbridge that made the most of the sunlight and the shadows. I may post it tomorrow if I can’t get anything more interesting. Lovely little spiderwebs jewelled with tiny raindrops which probably came from the fog. By then, I think Alex’s stomach was rumbling because he propose lunch and I agreed.

We were walking along Argyle Street, heading for Paesano when we were stopped by traffic crossing our corner when a man asked me if I was Donald and when I told him I was I realised he was Charles. We have been commenting on each other’s photos for over ten years but had never met until now. We shook hands and compared styles of photos and cameras. He had recognised me from my avatar on Flickr. We were heading in roughly the same direction, so we walked and talked, but he was heading in a different direction from us so we said our goodbyes and he headed on along Argyle Street while Alex and I went round into Paesano. A chance meeting!

After lunch, we walked back to the Clyde Walkway looking for some more good light, but the sky was clearing and the fog was lifting, so we put the cameras away. Alex was looking for a book in Waterstones and we found it, then we went back up Buchanan Street again, before Alex decided he wanted a photo of the Christmas decorations in Frasers store. We take these photos every year and rarely do they entice me to keep them in the big cull at the end of the year, but we still take them!

Another coffee in Nero and I gave Alex a run home. I’d a couple of parcels for him and the book I’d just read. Dropped him off at his house and drove him to find there was one parking slot available in our street. Brilliant.

Scamp and Shona seemed to have a lunch date and Shona seems to be well. Scamp might invite her over for lunch some day soon, if she’s not too busy.

PoD was a photo of a lady on the down ramp at Queen Street Station, waiting for a train or a lift home, I don’t know which.

Wrapping up a parcel tomorrow, but that’s about all we have planned.

Unlucky 13th – 13 December 2025

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A dull day that never really got off the ground.

It was a will we? Won’t we? Kind of day. We did think about going in to Glasgow, but it would be mobbed as the Xmas mobs start to congregate everywhere there is a shop open. The sky was looking like the weather fairies were on the ball with their warnings of heavy rain. We decided that the best plan of action was inaction and stayed at home.

I set up a still life later, a shot of a Christmas cactus against an out of focus window spattered with raindrops. It’s become a tradition, to photograph some tabletop shots around Christmas, and this was one of them. Scamp has been feeding the cactus with coffee grounds, a tip she saw online and it seems to be working because this plant is much healthier looking than its companion in the next room. Maybe I’ll start feeding that one too. Anyway, that was PoD sorted.

You may remember I was out in the woods yesterday and found a sixteen spot ladybird. What I didn’t know then, was that a little tick had found me. Didn’t find it until this morning. Luckily I have a tick remover tool on my keyring, Scamp gave me it about a year ago, and I managed to get the tick out. A tiny wee thing. It’s now been squashed. Put some TCP on the spot where it was and took Piriton. I would have thought all the wee beasties would be tucked up in bed at this time of year. Just shows you, you have to be careful.

In the evening we got dressed for dancing and headed off through the rain to Brookfield for the last social dance of the year, a Christmas Social. I wasn’t greatly looking forward to it, I rarely am, but as usual, mixing with folk I like, I did manage to have a good time. I didn’t dance as much as I usually do, but enough to get round without making too many mistakes. We left just before the last dance and drove home through a busier than usual motorway, all the way home almost without stopping. It’s a great luxury driving through an empty Glasgow at night.

We arrived back home just before midnight to find that some kind person had left us a parking space. Whoever you were, I thank you! A wee snifter of sherry for Scamp and a slightly larger glass of brandy for me, then off to bed. Of course, you know by this time that this is written the next day!

No plans for tomorrow (today)!