Glasgow was Great!

And no-one could have been more surprised than I was. It didn't even rain. In fact the weather was gorgeous; blue sky, bright sun, touch of frost underfoot and that crisp autumnal air that almost but not quite makes your lungs ache when you breathe in.

It was lovely to see Son No 2  and this time he had switched on the heating before we arrived which was a relief. The Vettriano exhibition was wonderful, well worth the trip down. It was interesting because it underlined the fact that Vettriano as an artist hasn't developed. Not only does he have a unique style which is instantly identifiable, he hasn't substantially  changed he way he paints in 25 years of work. I sort of think this isn't a good thing. I don't have the training of an art critic so I don't have the vocabulary for such a discussion, but can't help feeling it's a bit lazy and unimaginative. He has let himself get stuck.

 

That said, I still like the work. Just because seeing 100+ of the paintings all at once gives you a touch of visual indigestion it doesn't mean you go off them. I like his titles and I like his colours and I like that he captures a moment in time that can send your mind skittering off in all directions making up stories for the people pictured. Story is so important to the human psyche.

 

After that it was the much dreaded meeting with the academic supervisor but actually I think we had a bit of a break through moment. It went well.

 

We didn't get time to do any shopping since that would have involved moving the car and trying to find somewhere else to park in the city centre so we opted for a late lunch back at Kelvingrove and a very quick trip around the Glasgow Boys Gallery where I got to see at long last the Henry/Hornel painting of The Druids bringing in the Mistletoe. I've loved this picture for ages, although have only ever seen it in reproductions in books so it was fantastic to see the original. Really surprised to find it square rather than rectangular. The version below really doesn't do it justice but gives some sort of idea.

 

Off On My Travels Again

So tomorrow is the day we go south, weather and ferries permitting. Many of the ferries were cancelled today which was worrying, but the weather seems to have settled and the winds are easing off so, assuming not too much swell in the Firth we should be good to go tomorrow.

Overnigth with son no 2 in Kirkcaldy and an action packed day in Glasgow on Friday, returning on Saturday. Let's hope the cats cope without us, but it is only three days.

We should be back in time to settle nicely in front of the Dr Who 50th Anniversary Special but we've set it to record just in case. And son no 1 will be in London for the official Anniversary Weekend. Complete with very expensive photo opportunity with Matt Smith.

 

I'm a bit nervous about the meeting with the Ph D supervisor on Friday. And will only get more and more nervous as it gets closer. But whatever happens, it won't be the end of the world.

The End of Breathless

Much to my relief this bonkers excuse for a TV drama came to an end last week. I understand there is to be a second series but I am relieved of the necessity for watching it by the fact that the character played by Iain Glen (who assiduous readers will recall was my only reason for watching it in the first place ) was murdered by a mad anaesthetist who shoved a syringeful of some noxious medical substance in his shoulder. This was done by the anaesthetist concerned at a full run and the needle must perforce have gone through an overcoat, a sports jacket or pullover, a shirt and a vest and then into somewhere where the noxious substance concerned could do almost immediately fatal damage  all without the needle breaking. Had he borrowed it from a horse vet? And was he possessed of superhuman strength?

 

The almost immediately fatal effect was so that the really rather nasty wife of the hero, could refuse to make any effort to call an ambulance while her husband struggled bravely on to save the life of a man who had been doing his best to ruin both the hero's life and marriage. Because that's what heroes do. 

 

The only question remaining really  is 'Iain, Jack (Davenport), did you really need the money that badly?'

 

Yorkshire Catch Up

I was never going to do a blow by blow of our week in Yorkshire but here are a few more pictures from the week

 

this was the terrace in front of the cottage, and one day I even sat out there having coffee with a friend. Very civilised. I did have visions of us sitting out there in the evenings with glasses of wine but that never happened sadly.

 

We went to Helmsley, one of our favourite stamping grounds  back in the day when we lived in Leeds. Not quite so wonderful this time round; lots of the nice little shops were shut, because it was Sunday, some of the open ones weren't suitable for taking in a tired and grumpy toddler and the toy shop sadly isn't what it was. There was this pretty café though....

After lunch we went to Helmsley Castle. These statues were new since our last visit. I rather liked them, and not just because they were reminiscent of some of the shots in 300.  Although that helped, obviously!

After Helmsley it was Pickering, tea and a trip to see the steam trains. Obviously all a bit much too excitement for father and son....

 

 

all little boys love Thomas the Tank Engine - as I know to my cost.

 

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside....

 

Whitby Abbey, from the beach. Hard to believe from this picture how far it is up all those steps

 

Return to Harlow Carr - and Son No 1 is even smiling!

 

A caged monster!!

 

It was a good week with some happy memories.

 

What I Finished in October

Well there was more than in September, although as we all know that's not saying much

 

Wristwarmers (knitted from a front of magazine kit and sent off to my friend for her asylum seekers party.

 

small blankets and tiny hats and bootees, sent to SANDS via Bonnie Babies for their Memory Boxes

 

Burial Gowns for premature babies

 

 

scarf for the Asylum Seekers Party

 

a scarf/shawl type thing for me knitted in Wollmeise. For those in the loop Strickmich's Trillian. People rave about this and the colours are wonderful, but it feels a bit like knitting with string.

 

 

Bright socks for the OH. This was Danish wool bought at Yarndale. It was sold as sock wool and certainly knitted to the correct tension etc but it feels too soft to me to make particularly hard wearing socks. On the upside there's enough left of the ball to make a third sock  so if one goes spectacularly through there'll still be a pair. When I get round to knitting the spare that is!

 

Only my disinclination for sewing up means that there is not also a grandson's Christmas cardigan to display this month too!

(Almost) Touching History

It's said that people in the UK generally only go to Church twice a year; at Christmas and Easter. I don't know that's right really. Plenty of people turn out at Christmas, but Easter? not so much. In my experience after Christmas, the churches are at their fullest for Remembrance Day.

 

The service in the Cathedral here on Remembrance Sunday always finishes with local piper, vet and all round good guy Andy Cant playing his own composition, called Remembrance. It has to be one of the most beautiful tunes ever composed for the pipes. I'd like it played at my funeral after the internment but suspect that would verge on the blasphemous in a way; it wasn't written for individuals.

 

Anyway today Andy was playing on a set of pipes that had belonged to his uncle. They were played in France during World War I. They were played in North Africa during World War II. And today they were played in the Cathedral.

 

Thus are we bound to the stories and lives of those who came before. And with attention and focus so can we bind those who come afterwards into our stories too.

 

I'd have loved to touch those pipes. And I'd have asked Andy if I could, even though I'd have felt totally daft, but by the time we'd shuffled to the Cathedral door in the press of folk, they were already put away. That was a shame. But honestly it was a privilege just to hear them.

 

 

 

Progress on the Home Front

Well it looks like we might have the new bathroom installed for Christmas! Plan agreed, all the bits chosen, without too much discussion/disagreement, the joiner is available in three weeks time which is when the stuff will arrive and he will organise plumber, sparky and painter. Which leaves us just to choose the paint for the walls that will need it, and the tiles for the floor and book the tiler. And today we went and signed the contract and paid the deposit. All good stuff.

Quite what we will do while the bathroom is being ripped to pieces and we have workmen in the house for  10 days to two weeks I don't know. Something will doubtless suggest itself.

So now that things are gong smoothly on the bathroom, it may be time to ring up the man and ask about progress on The Big Shed.

As Promised - My 'Nessie'

not tasteful - but quite precious all the same.

Ze Curse of Inverness - She is Broke

Yup, difficult to believe I know but the nicest thing happened to me when I was Inverness for the UHI Post Grad Conference and I feel that perhaps the place has had its fun with me and is now willing to leave me alone.

 

So, are you all dying to know what the nice thing was? Well, I'll tell you. My presentation won an award. In fact it won Best Short Presentation. When they announced it at the final dinner you could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather.

 

The most astonishing, and indeed pleasing, aspect of winning this is that it is voted for by the delegates at the conference themselves. Since I was talking about a poet, and 80% of the audience were marine biologists and most of the rest were studying either health or environmental science I feel that I must have done something right.

 

It was a great way to start my 'paper giving' career and I got a little wooden shield and an Amazon Gift Card. Photo to follow, and then you will see why the awards are called The Nessies.

 

I should also place on record that, despite knowing naff all about marine biology and very little more about health and environmental sciences I enjoyed almost all of the presentations done by other people. I was particularly impressed by my fellow Centre for Nordic Studies student who did her presentation in rhyme. And I'm pleased to report that she too won an award, for the best innovative presentation. CNS Rocks - as the young people probably don't say.