The Frost and Cold Canal

Happy New Year!!
Where have January and February gone!!
Got some catching up to do...

Well it certainly has been a cold winter!! Had a White Christmas and a white New Year for that matter!! I can't remember the snow lasting that long in my life.
Most of these photos were actually taken on Christmas Eve when the temperature in the afternoon was -8 C. (that's 18 F in old money) Brrrr!!
They are from round about the Forth and Clyde canal. Or the Frost and Cold canal as it has been.

I grew up not far from the Forth and Clyde canal. Simply "The canal" to us. When you grow up next to something it is the only one in the world as far as you are concerned.

One of the tours would love to do on this blog is the full length of this canal, but here is some snowy pictures from round about it for now.

And a wee bit of history...

The Forth and clyde canal is 35 miles long. Construction started in 1768 and was completed 22 years later in 1790. It was designed by John Smeaton. No not "Smeato" of Glasgow Airport fame. This John Smeaton was an English engineer born in 1724. And the point of the canal is in the name, it connects the river Clyde with the River Forth.

For more info here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_and_Clyde_Canal

Christmas Eve actually started off pretty foggy. Perhaps Santa was going to have to call on Rudolph with his nose so bright one more time. But the fog soon lifted to a sunny, bitterly cold day. Then when you looked at the trees you saw that some of the fog had frosted onto the branches and every one became a unique work of art. These beautiful trees above aren't captured at Loch Lomond or the Cairngorms. This was just outside B&Q at the Strathkelvin Business Park in Bishopbriggs!!

Further along the road now at where the canal passes the Stables bar. The boat waiting for an icebreaker to come along is the Craft Daft on a Raft boat. I just loved this wintery scene. If I could paint then would have a go at this.

And this is the view in the other direction towards Kirkintilloch. The canal totally frozen over and if you look carefully you can see animal tracks running along it. The local wildlife taking advantage of a new through road.

Back the other way now and stopped off to take some shots of Cadder Parish Church. Here through the trees from the canal bank.

And a closer shot now from within the old graveyard. Just felt this was a perfect traditional Christmas card photo.

This beautiful church building dates from 1825 although a church building has been on this site as long ago as 1150.

http://www.cadderchurch.org.uk/

And another shot closer up of the church tower which was completed in 1829.

Really is a beautiful building. And has extra meaning for me as this is actually also where I got married.

This photo above was taken slightly later as the sun was setting over the canal. Love the winter sunsets.

And this above is not the canal but the burn next to Bishopbriggs Sports Centre. Beautiful and still winter scene. Then it was home time to wait for Santa to arrive.

Hope you liked this wee mini tour of the canal. Will hopefully get the chance to have that full tour when it a bit warmer!!

Be well, be happy!!

Circus Christmas Lights...

"You want to display, your charms, on this bright night
You want to display, your charms, over these circus christmas lights"

Deacon Blue, Glasgow and Christmas. Perfect combination!!

Glasgow is a fantastic place at Christmas. But it truly comes alive when the sun dips down and the lights come up. Welcome to Glasgow "The Night"...



The sun just going down behind a Buchanan Street full of Christmas shoppers. The Christmas lights on and the Tron Church in Nelson Mandela place all lit up. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you will know how much I love this building. Probably my favourite in all of Glasgow. And all lit up on a Christmas night? Perfect.

And these photos are probably most people's favourite Christmas scene in Glasgow. The curtain of stars hung over Royal Exchange Square. Often wonder why they don't just leave these here all year long as they just make this square so magical.

And couldn't leave our old friend Arthur out of the celebrations!! Merry Christmas Arthur!!

Now back into George Square again. Two things in Glasgow were Christmas for me as a child. The front window in Lewis' in Argyll Street and the Christmas Lights in George Square. Lewis' may be gone but the George Square lights have never been brighter!!

In my first ever tour on this blog I talked about a UFO landing in George Square. Seems it has finally happened!! Actually this is what happens when you play about with buttons on your camera you don't understand!! But I liked this photo anyway!!

The massive Christmas tree in front of the always stunning City Chambers.

Night skating. What REM do in the winter perhaps when the water is frozen?

The helter skelter and carousel really come to life when all lit up!! Circus Christmas lights!!

A finally the very centre of Glasgow. The Sir Walter Scott column in the middle of George Square all lit up. I love Christmas in Glasgow.
Sending a Merry Christmas from Glasgow to wherever in the world you are reading this!!

Be well, be happy!!

Snow Mean City

It's Christmas time!!

And we are having a white Christmas!!
And not like the ones I used to know. This one is much better than any snow I remember at Christmas!!
Ok... apart from the transport chaos.
But there is something magical about snow at Christmas so finished up at work yesterday afternoon (23rd) and headed into Glasgow to see what I could see.



First photo I just liked as a contrast to the photo of the "Big Heids" I posted in the summer.
Look at all that snow!!

Into the Buchanan Galleries car park. And looking out from level 9 across the abandoned level 8 covered in snow and across the rooftops of Glasgow.

And then down into George Square. Once again I liked the contrast between this and the summer shots of the City Chambers when this blog began back in May.

I remember watching Planet Earth on tv and seeing them waiting for a shot of the Snow Leopard. Well in Glasgow we have Snow Lions!!

Skating in the square. Now a regular feature of the winter festival in Glasgow is the ice rink in George Square. This time around the Sir Walter Scott column.

More skating with the City Chambers looking stunning in the background as always. Rain, Snow, Sun it is always a beautiful building. And in Glasgow rain, sun and snow can be one afternoon!!

Has been really cold these lasts few days and it seems that a colony of penguins have moved into Glasgow. Was so cold yesterday that this one was actually asking me if he could borrow my scarf!!

Christmas time also means that the fair has come to town. Once again just fantastic to see everyone having fun in the square. I had spent so much time walking through here this year and seen so many aspects of this unique part of Glasgow. It really is the heart of the city.

Heading out of Gerorge Square now and wanted to pay a visit to an old friend. Arthur and Copenhagen in Royal Exchange Square. And there was the cone. And the snow.

Round onto Buchanan Street and was sad to see Borders had finally closed. As I covered in a previous post about Buchanan Street this was on the list of one of the best book shops in the world. Was sad to see it gone. This blog was started when I got notice of redundancy this year so wishing good luck to all the staff affected by this and hope to see something new here in the new year.

But sad thoughts were put aside for a while once I wandered further up Buchanan Street and heard the happy sound of Jiggle Bells being played on the accordian. It was the accordian lady I had taken a photo of in one of my first posts!!
http://glasgowtheday.blogspot.com/2009/06/street-theatre.html

I don't know her name or anything about her yet feels like meeting an old friend whenever I see her in Buchanan Street.

Hope you enjoyed this quick photo tour of Glasgow at Christmas. Especially for any ex-pats out there missing the old town.

Wherever you are in the world this Christmas...

Be well, be happy!!

Yo ho ho ho!! A pirate Christmas tour...

Wee flashback blog here cause never got time to post this one...

The weekend of 21st/22nd November was the Christmas Fair at the Tall Ship in Glasgow so went along with the family.
I've been to the Tall Ship before but not had a wee tour as part of this blog so welcome aboard.





The Tall Ship's real name is the Glenlee. She was built in Port Glasgow in 1896. For the next 23 years she circumnavigated the globe 4 times as she transported cargo all over the world (although she was renamed the Islamount in 1898). She then changed hands several times until be purchased by the Royal Spanish Navy in 1921 and renamed the Galatea.

She remained as a training ship with the Spanish Navy until 1981 when she was decomissioned and tied up with the intention to scrap her.
However in 1990 she was spotted by a group of ship enthusiasts and in 1992 was brought home to Glasgow where she now serves as a floating museum.

That is her incredible story.
But even if you knew none of that it doesn't change the fact that she is a beautiful ship which as you board her just feels like you are stepping back in time.




As you pass the front of the ship you will see the Glenlee's figurehead. This was a sailing superstition that she would look over the waters and hopefully calm the seas.
Her nickname today is actually "Marydoll" :-)

At the rear of the ship you will see a Jolly Roger flying. Now the Glenlee was never a pirate ship nor did she even sail during the "Golden Age" of piracy during the 1700's.
However she does host pirate based kid's parties and no matter what age you are you can't help but imagine being Captain Jack Sparrow for a wee while when onboard this ship.

As a wee note if you notice the black squares on the side of the ship these are not actually cannon hatches as the Glenlee is unarmed. However this was a traditional paint pattern on cargo ships to make them look armed to deter pirates.



As you first cross onto the front of the ship you will see the ship's bell over the forecastle. This served as the ship's clock as it was rung every half hour to signal the changing of the watch. The kids love ringing this now and you got to love a museum that has real hands on exhibits that bring the place to life.




Up on the forecastle you look across the prow of the ship back towers the entrance building which I believe used to be an old pump house.

Also from the forecastle you get a fantastic view across to the Glasgow Science Centre and Glasgow Tower. The Waverley paddle steamer was tied up there on the day we visited.

The Glasgow Heliport is also situated directly next to the Glenlee and is a great contrast between the transport of the 19th Century and the 21st Century.

A wee exploration around the ship soon lets you see just how hard a life on the ocean waves truly was. This is a picture of the main deckhouse where the crew would live, eat and sleep. Very small and cramped.

The galley is just to the rear of the main deckhouse. This was seemingly one of the most popular places on this ship as it was the only place that was always warm.

Below decks now and looking out through the portholes at the Glasgow Tower.


And as this was the Christmas festival below decks was also full of lovely craft stalls selling Christmas gifts. The room smelling of cinammon and other Christmassy smells. And in the Captain's cabin was the main man himself. No not the captain but Santa!!

Really is something a bit special for the kids to meet Santa on this beautiful old ship. A very Scottish Tartan Santa as well!!

Didn't want to leave this special wee Christmas tour without showing you a couple of shots of Glenlee's new home. Or it will be in 2011. The shiney silver building in the background in the new transport museum. The museum in Kelvin Hall will be moving here and the Glenlee will also be moving to be moored there.

Is it sad to actually be excited about the opening of a new muesum?

Probably but I am genuinely looking forward to visiting the new transport museum and seeing the tall ship proudly sitting outside.

The Christmas fair at the tall ship is something a bit special but they have all different events during the year so go along if you have the chance.

Be well, be happy!!