Nigel's Photo Blog

 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.

  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.

    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

  Kaims Castle Roman Fortlet, Perthshire, Scotland This evening, I am posting information Kaims Castle in Perthshire, central Scotland. The name is a misnomer because the site was never a castle in the medieval sense of the word but a fortlet from the early Roman period, 1st century AD. Kaims was part of an early military fortification known as the Gask Frontier in central Scotland which was in operation between around AD 79 and AD 87 parts of which were subsequently reoccupied for brief periods in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Like most Roman sites in Scotland, Kaims Castle is not signposted and requires research and determination to find. I obtained access through the goodwill of adjacent property owner. The site is located between modern-day Braco and Muthill on the A822. However, in Roman times the site was strategically placed equidistant between the principal forts of Ardoch and Strageath. Ardoch is just a few miles away and is probably the best preserved Roman for

This post provides an important development as reported today. For ease of reference my original post of May 17th 2020 is repeated below. The situation regarding the avenue of trees is as follows: The avenue originally comprised 150 beech trees which were planted in 1775. Prior to today's announcement 86 trees remained. A safety check determined that 11 of the remaining trees were in poor condition of which 6 had to be felled.Of the remainder 4 required remedial work with assessment of 1 pending. The remaining trees have an age of about 250 years whereas the typical life span for the species is 150-200 years. Clearly, today's news is detrimental for tourists, especially Outlander fans. Dark Hedges, an incredible and eery site in Northern Ireland May 17, 2020 This evening, I am posting information on the unusual natural feature known as the ‘Dark Hedges’, near Stranocum in Northern Ireland. The feature comprises an avenue of very mature beech t

  Strathaven Castle This evening, my theme is Strathaven Castle the ruins of which sit on a prominent rocky mound above the conservation village that shares its name. Strathaven is a pleasant country town located about 25 miles south of Glasgow in the west of Scotland. A brief chronology of this castle is as follows: First castle erected in 1170s by the Baird family whose ancestor fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. First stone castle built around 1350. This was burnt down in the 1450s, possibly by King James II. By this time the castle was in hands of the Black Earls of Douglas. Around 1455 the castle seems to have been deliberately slighted. Around the mid 1400s the castle was gifted to Sir Andrew Stewart, Lord Avondale, a supporter of the King. Lord Avondale built the castle in the form that we know today. In 1534 the castle passed to Sir James Hamilton of Finnart, a  military architect who served King James V as Master of the King’s Works, The castle passed to the

  This morning I encountered the above group of dedicated fund raisers for the U.K. wide charity, Children in Need. This deserving charity  is heavily supported by the BBC and over the years has raised about GBP1bn for benefit of disadvantaged children. The 2023 fund raising culminates tonight in a televised extravaganza. I was advised the lady in the centre of the above image (with polka dot top) has won a special award for raising funds over a period of 35 years. I assume the Piper below was performing to support the fund raising. The tune he is playing is a Scottish song Flower of Scotland which is frequently performed on special occasions and at sporting events as the Nation al anthem of Scotland. I encountered these people at Rouken Glen Boating Pond, Glasgow. Piper playing Flower of Scotland

Earlier today I aid a visit to the ancient town of Linlithgow , about twenty miles west of Edinburgh in the east of Scotland.  Weather was poor but in course of a short 'walkabout' I encountered a couple of ancient buildings as discussed herein. The building immediately below is known as Hamiltons' Land. It dates from the early 17th century and was restored in 1958. Technically, the building is a 3-storey, two- bay traditional gable fronted tenement with pend (covered passage) and shop at ground, crowstepped and chimneyed gable.Building material is cream Pardovan sandstone coursed rubble with ashlar dressings to north elevation. The rear elevation features a two storey wing with 16th century bread oven in garden.There are 12-pane sash and case windows. The roof is T-Plan with red pantiles.The pantiles are common in the east of Scotland and may have been manufactured in Holland. Note small, square panel near chimney at top of the building. This was to allow access by pigeons

  This year is the 400th anniversary of the publication of 'Mr William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies' which is commonly known as the First Folio. This publication contains 36 of Shakespeare's plays 18 of which had never previously been published. Shakespeare's massive output never seems to have been collated into a single publication during his lifetime.He did, however, leave a bequest to his actor friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell, to collate and publish his works, a task which was not completed until about 7 years after his death, in 1623.It is believed that 235 copies of the original print run survive today 82 of which are in the Folger library in Washington DC. In addition to the play narratives the First Folio contains a list of the principal actors who appeared in the plays chief of which was Shakespeare himself. Arguably, Shakespeare's plays and other writings underpin and enrich the global reach of the English language to whic

Relative to the time of year, light conditions in Glasgow, Scotland today were exceptional. We benefited from a clear blue sky, low angle sun and a good display of autumnal trees. I am quite pleased with the portfolio of images obtained on my morning walk. Rather than than promulgate each image separately I have decided to consolidate the portfolio in this blog post. Image of Oak Tree resplendent in the sunshine. Image of Glasgow looking north. Golfers in bottom right, Glasgow city in centre and Campsie Fells (hills|) in distance. Morning mist over Auldhouse Burn (stream). Pooch of the day: Long Haired Dachshund Tree shadows

  Carved Head: Male. Measures 56X31X30cm. The apparent thick upper lip may represent a moustache.Made from red sandstone. In February of this year I visited Carlisle in N.W. England to inspect the finds from a recently discovered Roman Bathhouse on the outskirts of the city. The report on this visit can be found here . Yesterday, inspired by media reports of further important finds, I paid a repeat visit which proved very rewarding.. By way of background, Carlisle has evolved from the Roman fort of Luguvalium which was established in AD72. Later, in the 2nd century, Hadrian's Wall was constructed east to west across what is now northern England. Luguvalium benefited from this in that it fell within the Romanised territory to the south of the Wall. Furthermore, the Wall incorporated 17 major forts of which one, Uxelodunum was situated a short distance to the N.E. Consistent with Roman military practice, a bathhouse was constructed to serve the 1000 strong garrison at Uxelodunum.

Introduction Bath is a city located in the county of Somerset , S.W. England. Former Roman Baths Summary information on Bath Bath has a population of about 84,000. It is located some 115  miles (184 km) west of London and has a history dating back to around AD 60 when the Romans built a major bathing complex centred on the local hot springs. Roman rule ended in AD 410 but the town grew to new prominence some 1400 years later as a fashionable vacation destination and health resort , a development which coincided with an explosion of building in the ‘Georgian’ style the legacy of which remains today of which the most famous example is the Royal Crescent . Bath reached its fashionable peak during the Regency period of around 1795-1830. Today, Bath is prosperous and receives about 4.5m visitors each year. Georgian era Royal Crescent   Detail on Bath for the visitor Roman Era: The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43 and within twenty years had found and built a Roman Baths  complex

Mackintosh House at Hunterian Art Gallery, Mackintosh House at Hunterian Art Gallery,  Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) is probably Glasgow’s most celebrated architect and designer. From 1906 to 1914 Mackintosh and his wife, Margaret MacDonald lived at 78 Southpark Avenue (originally 6 Florentine Terrace). During period of his occupation Mackintosh remodelled the interior in his own distinctive style. After Mackintosh’s death the house was bought by one William Davidson who gave it to the Hunterian Art Gallery. The house was demolished in the 1960s but reconstructed in 1981 as an integral part of the Hunterian, only a block away from site of the original. Mackintosh House, Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow Mackintosh House, Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow The Hunterian Art Gallery is located at 82 Hillhead Street. Here can be found collections of: Whistler Dutch and Flemish Art Scottish Art Glasgow Boys Scottish Colourists Prints and Drawings Sculpture The Hunterian Art

   Image of St. Martin-in-the-Fields This evening, I am posting information on the church of St. Martin-in-the Fields near Trafalgar Square , London.This falls within the Anglican denomination.Most of the information herein was sourced from Wikipedia. Chronology An AD410 Roman burial at the site may point to an early Christian place of worship,possibly replacing an earlier pagan temple. The earliest extant reference to a church dates from 1222. King Henry VIII arranged a rebuild in 1542. In 1606 work was authorised to extend, repair and beautify the building. Due to physical deterioration, in 1722 Parliament passed an act for rebuild at a cost of GBP22,000. James Gibbs was selected to design the new church. His rectilinear plan was accepted with foundation stone laid in 1722 and completion achieved 1724. Total cost was GBP33,661. A GBP36.0M renewal programme was commenced in 2006. This concluded in 2008.  Architecture The church is rectangular in plan, with the five-bay nave divided f