Tag Archives: Scotland

Violets⤴

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Violets
Violets flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

Violets always remind me of my mother in law Morag. They used to grow all over her garden in Bearsden and her gardener would weed them out. Morag used to save clumps of them from his grasp and give them to me to plant in our garden. I don’t know if the ones we have in our garden nowadays come from those plants or not, but whenever I see them I think of her. They grow in cracks and crevices – hard to notice, yet beautiful when I bend down to look close. I rarely weed them out because they are so pretty.

Violets
Violets flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

As I sat down to write this post I started to think about other ways that Morag reminds me of a violet. The woman I have known for over 20 years is a very quiet person, quite unassuming – but firm in her opinions – tenacious. A shrinking violet? Maybe, but one should never underestimate the power of quiet faith.

Violets
Violets flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

Antonine Wall: Bearsden Bath House⤴

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I’ve driven past the Roman Baths in Bearsden so many times, but yesterday was the first time I’d ever stopped near it. So yesterday, when we went to visit N’s mum in her care home on Roman Rd, we wandered over the road so I could see it. It’s a really odd experience seeing archeological remains in such an urban setting. Viewed from the car park of the care home it’s hard to even notice it with the flats behind grabbing one’s line of sight:

Roman Baths
Roman Baths flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

We crossed the road, but the sun was not in the best place to take a picture, and all I had was my phone:

96/365 Roman Baths
96/365 Roman Baths flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

And side on it looks even less impressive.

Roman Baths
Roman Baths flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

I’ll try to get some better photos next time.

Boundaries⤴

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Yesterday’s Daily Create was about boundaries, and I was thinking about what my response would be as I was walking up to a Uni meeting yesterday morning.

First, as I got off the bus and started walking up the path, I stopped to take this picture. It’s not obvious from here, but the road to the left goes up the hill to the university, while the path straight ahead goes through Kelvingrove park – and once you start along the path through the park you cannot get through to the Uni until the far end of the park – a high metal fence creates an unpassable boundary between gown and town.

Path up from Dumbarton Rd to Glasgow Uni
Path up from Dumbarton Rd to Glasgow Uni flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

Then, as I reached the entrance to the Main Building I discovered that it was shut, instead of standing open as it usually did. It was no problem to walk a few feet to an open archway, but again I noticed that this usually open space was locked down.

South Front Door, Main Building, Glasgow University
South Front Door, Main Building, Glasgow University flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

Although I was not expecting it to be closed, I wasn’t surprised as I’d been emailed earlier to alert me to the extra security due to the student occupation outside the library. Despite the torrential rain, these tents have been there for a few days now. I felt for them a couple of minutes after I took this photo as the heavens opened again and I was drenched by the time I got to my next meeting.

87/365 Student Occupation
87/365 Student Occupation flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

So very many different boundaries – both physical and moral, represented in these three pictures.

I love …⤴

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Inspired by today’s Daily Create based on Kim Douillard’s blog post.

I love. I love to sit and knit on a winter evenings, sitting on the sofa in front of the TV, with my legs wrapped up in a Shetland wool hap.

Shetland Lace Knitting
Shetland Lace Knitting flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

I love my cats, especially the way my Lacey cat will insist I put her favourite cushion on my lap so she can climb up and sit on my lap.

310 Lap Cat
310 Lap Cat flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

I love living in Scotland, with such beautiful scenery all around me. Having Mugdock Loch so close to where we live brings me peace when I need it.

69/365 Heron
69/365 Heron flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

I love the Daily Create, for making me think every day, and this blog, for giving me space to reflect.

What do you love?

 

A Glasgow Banksy⤴

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Since I’ve been taking a photo each day to upload to Flickr (for each day in 2024 and every one so far in 2025) I’ve been looking at my surroundings more carefully and noticing things that I have not seen before. So when I walked up Great George Street recently for the first time in a long time I was pleased to see some street art on the wall.

78/365 Great George St Graffiti
78/365 Great George St Graffiti flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

When I used Google Lens to find out more about it I discovered that it was thought to be by a local artist called the Rebel Bear – otherwise known as the Scottish Banksy. It had only appeared in January 2025, so no wonder I’d not noticed it before.

There’s a parking sign in the other online photos though, which is not in mine. I wonder what happened to that.