Category: Museum

On a Boat – 10 May 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Or maybe it was a ship, I’m not sure.

Waited half an hour for a bus that didn’t come. Apparently the previous one hadn’t come either. Thankfully Scamp gave me a lift to the train station and I got in to Glasgow almost on time to meet Alex. Today we were heading for the Riverside Museum out in the west end, but first coffee and a quick catch-up.

According to the First Bus app, we could catch the 100 bus at George Square and it would take us right to the museum. It didn’t, because it didn’t come either. We walked back to the bus station and got the 77 which did arrive on time and a helpful driver told us were to get off and also the quickest way to get from Partick to the museum. We followed his directions and found the strange looking museum building. Inside was disappointing. Racks of cars reaching up about five storeys with no chance to see inside them and not even a viewing gallery to get a better view. Also, everything was dusty and just manky looking. Interesting building, but not very practical. Thankfully the window wall that faces the Clyde made a brilliant mirror and we used it to our advantage. That’s where the PoD came from. The great cloud and its reflection looked like a gigantic bird. Even the red crane in the background looked good.

We walked round the big sailing ship, The Glenlee, that’s permanently moored next to the museum and is free to enter. I couldn’t imagine sailing on a three masted ship like that. Equally scary was reading the captain’s log. Written in 1919, it was testament to the abilities and courage of the sailors of the time.

As we left the museum, I thought “I won’t come back until they find a better way to display the contents.” Too much crammed in to a small space. There were two high points. Lunch, which was great and that window wall. Almost everything else need spruced up and some of the items removed to storage.

We walked back to Dumbarton Road and got the bus back to the bus station. Said cheerio and went to catch our buses home. Good company, some good photos taken and the lunch was worth paying for. The final problem was that the bus I was waiting for disappeared from the display with no explanation. Three different buses from three different companies and none of them arrived! As Alex’s wife said, “You could walk from the City Centre to Partick”. We could have and probably should have!

Today’s prompt asked for Cutlery.
A knife a fork and a spoon, what could be difficult in that? Metal, that’s the answer, shiny metal objects are incredibly difficult to draw. Knives aren’t too bad, but forks and especially spoons are the very devil to render. There is a whole book waiting to be written on rendering shiny metal objects, but it can be summed up in one word.
DON’T!

Tomorrow we may go dancing!

Off looking for more culture – 27 April 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Today I was getting the bus in to Glasgow to meet Alex and then find our way to the Burrell Collection in Pollock Park. Scamp was staying home and ‘tidying up’.

I got the X3 in to Glasgow. It was late and it looked as if I was going to be late to meet Alex too, but the driver managed to make us some time on the way there and we both arrived at the same time. After a bit of confusion about which street the number 57 bus for Pollock Park left at, we found with the help of a bus driver, that it left from Renfield Street. It was a ramshackle bus as most of them are in Glasgow these days but it took us to the park and we walked in to the grand new Burrell Collection building.

A very impressive building from the outside, much as I remember it before its refit, but inside it’s all changed and for once, it’s change for the better. It’s a much airier place than it used to be with space to walk around some of the exhibits. And so many exhibits. It’s hard to believe that one man and his wife could collect so many and varied antiquities in their lifetime. Harder still to know that they gifted all the collection to the city of Glasgow.

We spent an hour or so just walking round the exhibits, then the smell of food was wafting towards us from the cafe so we had a bite to eat and discussed what we’d seen so far and where we wanted to go next. It’s an amazing place, Much bigger than the Hunterian Museum, but not as enormous, nor as crowded as Kelvingrove Art Galleries. After another two or three hours we decided we’d head back into town. Another coffee and Alex suggested we should make up a list of ‘Dry’ places and ‘Wet’ places to go during the year. I think that’s a good idea.

We were both heading for the bus station again, but on opposite sides of the ‘U’ shaped concourse. I just managed to catch the X3 with no time to spare. Back home, dinner was Carrot & Lentil Curry. A staple that usually feeds us for at least two days. Followed by home made Rhubarb Pie which is lovely hot with cream, but in my opinion, even better served cold, just as it is. It’s a bit late for a slice tonight, but I’m looking forward to a piece tomorrow.

PoD was a wee man sitting in a low leather chair reading his phone. It’s entitled “A man and his phone are rarely parted.”

Tomorrow Scamp is intending going to FitSteps and then coffee with Isobel. I think I might devote tomorrow to laying the carpet tiles in the toilet, all being well. Oh what fun.