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Castlerigg Stone Circle

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  Today, a good friend of mine has allowed me to use the above stunning image of Castlerigg Stone Circle which was taken in the early morning a few days ago. Location is near Keswick in the Lake District which in turn is a spectacular scenic region of N.W. England. This circle dates to around 3200 BC and as such ranks as one of the earliest in Europe.There are 38 surviving stones out of an original 42  It seems likely that the circle was created by local peoples engaged in a stone axe industry in nearby Langdales. As explained in this post the peoples of this period are not the ancestors of indigenous British people of today. The rationale behind the construction of stone circles is not fully understood although one line of thought points to the stones representing a physical manifestation of ancestors. For a people without the wheel, roads and restricted to primitive stone tools the erection of such circles represents a herculean effort requiring a social structure allied with proje
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Castle Tioram, Loch Moidart, Scotland

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 This evening, I am focusing on a fascinating Scottish castle, located south of Mallaig on Loch Moidart. Castle Tioram , (pronounced “Chee-rum”) dates from the 13th century and was closely connected with Clan Ranald in turn a junior branch of Clan Donald. Like many medieval castles, Tioram is now located in an isolated spot but in its heyday commanded an important water communication route and the entrance to Loch Shiel . The castle is located on Eielan Tioram or the ‘dry island’ which is accessed by a tidal causeway. The castle was occupied until the 18th century but was abandoned thereafter and is now a ruin, albeit a substantial one. The long drive to the castle will reward castle enthusiasts and aficionados of Clan Ranald. as will be evident from this video clip , the castle displays a long period of occupation as manifested in the varied architecture styles. Inside Castle Tioram   Happy visitor More information for the visitor For more information on Scotland’s ca
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Still Freezing in Glasgow, Scotland

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  Today, the temperature continues to hover around freezing point and conditions remain much as reported in my blog of yesterday. Our friendly.local Vixen (above) turned up for breakfast at 8.00am. I don't envy her sitting on a cold, snow covered masonry wall but guess her thick fur must provide a good level of insulation. In course of my morning walk around the local country park I was surprised to find a 5k race in process notwithstanding the trails now mainly consist of packed ice.This event was run by a group called Acorn Trails who seem to specialise in this type of event. I arrived just as the race was ending with a few stragglers coming in. Stragglers Another straggler who had clearly enjoyed the experience. Runners at finish line. The adverse weather continues to provide opportunities for winter related activities. Fortunately, the situation here in Glasgow is relatively benign compared with other parts of the U.K., especially the English Lake District where motorists have
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Winter has arrived in Glasgow, Scotland

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 Image of snow-covered Glasgow looking north   This morning I awoke to a radio report of Glasgow being subject of overnight snowfall. On peering outside the report proved accurate. This was unexpected. In fact, the conditions outside provided an ideal winter landscape with the snow settling on frozen ground, temperatures just below freezing and negligible wind. The only downside was poor visibility due to extensive cloud cover. The snow was a function of a cold spell which is unusual for Glasgow at this time of year. Inspired by the weather I proceeded as follows: Introduced our young cat to it's first encounter with snow.   Fed our 'adopted' Fox which was begging for food close to our back door. Wintry scenery is all very well but can be devastating for wildlife.  Embarked on an extended walk around our local country park and golf course.  Frozen over Boating Pond. Another aspect of the Boating Pond showing the large population of water birds desperate for food.They are g
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Cold snap continues in Glasgow, Scotland

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 Icicles at waterfall, Rouken Glen On November 25th I reported on the frosty conditions being experienced here in Glasgow .  Little has changed over the past few days nor is likely to through the weekend. Cause is a blast of cold air from Scandinavia (in the north).  On the plus side we have brilliant, low angle sun coupled with blue skies and little wind which provides good photographic opportunities.Downside being the unusual prolonged chill (for November) with temperatures down to about -5c/23f which affects wildlife as well as people. Parts of the U.K. had their coldest November night since 2010 whilst eastern Scotland and parts of northern England had snow fall of about 2cm/0.8inches. Image below shows a 'feeding frenzy' of hungry ducks at the local pond.Tomorrow, I will take more food with me as this large collection of waterbirds seem to suffering.
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Pony Trip for Handicapped-Part 2

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  On October 17th of this year I reported on a chance encounter with people providing a specialised, pony-drawn conveyance for the handicapped (mainly youngsters in wheelchairs). This morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see the same pony and gentleman behind the service and special apparatus.Once again, location was our excellent local country park of Rouken Glen. In course of a long discussion with the gentleman I was advised that he was responsible for the unique design and engineering of the trailer/conveyance which he has just enhanced with a special rear wheel to aid steering. Here is an image of 'Obama' the faithful male pony who displays an excellent temperament. Towards the end of our meeting a lady approached the gentleman with a heavily handicapped child and enquired if a trip could be arranged. This was agreed. It was a revelation to me to see the child's eyes and face 'light up' with excitement.
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Seasonal images of Glasgow in frosty conditions

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    Image above shows a capture of (for me) first icicles of the season. Site was waterfall at Rouken Glen, Glasgow. Overnight the first meaningful frosts of winter arrived across the U.K. Here is Glasgow temperature went down to about minus 5c (27f).  With a combination of crisp, frosty ground surface, brilliant low angle sun and blue skies I ventured out with hope of obtaining some seasonal pics. On balance, the outcome was better than I had hoped for with downside being a surprising complete absence of ice on the local boating pond.  Golfers at Deacon's Bank Golf Course in frosty conditions Landscape view of Glasgow with Campsie Fells (hills) in background and steam from Strathclyde Distillery at far right of pic. No shortage of golfers - despite the frost. Here's looking at you, kid. Surprisingly friendly grey squirrel. These non-native rodents usually disappear into the trees upon sight of a human but this specimen held its ground. Plume of steam escaping from the Strathcl
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