Nigel's Photo Blog

 Juvenile Cormorant seeking lunch in the fast running Auldhouse Burn (stream).   This morning we experienced an unexpected snowfall which neatly coincided with my morning walk. The snow provided new dimensions to the local sites and landscapes which contributed to some interesting images. The piece de resistance being an image capture of what I had initially identified as a Grey Heron but later confirmed as a juvenile Cormorant.From my personal experience neither of these bird types are regular visitors to the local park.Maybe the Cormorant had been forced inland due to conditions at sea? Woodland trail in winter. Another woodland trail (at Rouken Glen) Winter landscape at Rouken Glen Waterfall masked by trees at Rouken Glen Boating Pond Tufted Ducks on the Boating Pond Swan family in a 'huddle' on the Boating Pond. Intrepid golfers seemingly unperturbed by the snow at Deacon's Bank View north from Deacon's Bank Golf Course Will see how the weather conditions unfold in

Effigy of Robert Burns at Tarbolton This evening, I am posting information on the historic, Bachelors’ Club Museum in Tarbolton, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The Bachelors’ Club is closely associated with Scotland’s National Poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796) whose place of birth, Alloway , is just ten miles to the S.W. The Club was formed by Robert Burns together with his brother Gilbert and five other friends as a debating society for the amusement and interest of young men who were ‘a professed lover of one or more of the female sex’. In reality the club was a platform to enable Robert Burns to improve his debating and public speaking skills and a step in Burns’ self-improvement agenda. Burns was initiated as a Freemason in the Club in 1781. The building is now a museum but has limited opening hours. Bachelors’ Club, Tarbolton (Thatched building on left.)

  Launching Skiff at Badentarbat Bay, Scotland This evening, I am posting information on the community based activity of coastal rowing which has experienced strong growth following original boat design in 2009 at the Scottish Fisheries Museum , Anstruthe r, Fife . The boat is supplied in kit form, using plywood and larch, from a small workshop in East Wemyss, Fife. Inspiration for the design originated in the Fair Isle, an island off the north of Scotland situated equidistant between Orkney and Shetland . The Scottish Coastal Rowing Association was formed in 2010 since when about 190 St Ayles Skiffs have been built. The skiffs facilitate community involvement across a range of skills such as building, rowing (leisure of competitively), project management, fitness and fund-raising. The skiffs have proved popular with coastal villages and communities around the U.K. and parts of U.S., Australia, South Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean. Regattas and rowing championships

  Maeshowe Neolithic Site, Orkney, Scotland This evening, the focus of my blog is one of Scotland’s top prehistoric sites, namely Maeshowe on Orkney . The structure dates from the Neolithic era (New Stone Age), around 3000BC and hence is some 5000 years old. Maeshowe is considered the finest chambered tomb in north-west Europe. To mind there are strong similarities with Newgrange in Ireland. I am also mindful of the social organisation in those far off days which must have been capable of marshalling a huge workforce at a time when the early people were living close to the environment and were restricted to just stone tools and, possibly, no wheeled vehicles. In essence Maeshowe consists of a grassy mound (35m across and 7m high) situated on a large circular platform surrounded by a ditch beyond which is a earthen bank. Incredibly, the interior has remained watertight over the millennia. No photographs of the interior are permitted. Inside the mound is a small room meas

 P&O ferry at Troon This post reprises the commencement of a custom, small group tour from Scotland to Ireland. First, we departed our lodgings in Troon , on the coast south of Glasgow and caught the 11.00 am ferry to Larne , Northern Ireland. This sea crossing took 2 hours 15 mins and passed close to Ailsa Craig en-route. Ailsa Craig is a small island of volcanic origin from which Scottish curling stones are manufactured. Ailsa Craig On arrival at Larne we disembarked and drove south for about 1 hour to the coastal town of Carrickfergus where we stopped for shopping. There is a 12th century castle at Carrickfergus although we did not visit it. Carrickfergus Carrickfergus Castle Next, we continued south towards Dublin, stopping for shopping and a break at the old town of Newry , County Down. Newry Cathedral Newry Town Centre We finally arrived at our destination of Navan about 6.00pm whereupon we checked into our hotel. Navan positions us for an early visit to

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland   Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland Tonight, I am posting information on of the most spectacular geological features in the British   Isles, namely the Giant’s Causeway on the north coast of Northern Ireland. This 3, 800 km2 site is Europe’s most extensive lava field and has achieved dual status of World Heritage Site ( UNESCO) and National Nature Reserve ( N.I. Government). The feature is a function of volcanic activity some 60 million years ago when the Atlantic   Ocean was being formed. It is believed there were three phases of basaltic lava flows separated by two periods of limited activity during which two red coloured strata were formed as a result of weathering and soil accumulation. The thousands of polygonal columns were formed as successive layers of lava cooled under pressure. The columns vary between 15-20 inches (38-51 cm) in diameter and up to 82 feet ( 25m) in height. The columns in the

  Readers of my various social network posts will be familiar with my 'pooch of the day' reports on particular dogs encountered on my morning walks. Today's encounter proved a real tear-jerker.  A casual enquiry of the owner of the above three legged animal revealed an appalling back story. I was informed the animal has it's origins in Tanzania, East Africa where rabies is rife. It seems that the local populace are paranoid about the rabies risk to which end this dog was viciously attacked resulting in the loss of one rear leg together with a smashed-up jaw.In fact,this particular dog has never contracted rabies By good fortune the dog was rescued by animal charities and brought to the U.K. for treatment which entailed a rebuild of the damaged jaw. Clearly, this particular story has a satisfactory ending with the dog recovering and displaying an affectionate temperament.I suspect there are many more cases which don't end on such a happy note. For the record Tanzania

 View of Glasgow looking north from Queen's Park This morning I was in the Shawlands area of south Glasgow for shopping and took the opportunity of an excellent burst of low angle sun to capture images of Glasgow city looking north.Unfortunately, the range of hills-the Campsie Fells- which sit behind the city in the distance were not visible, a deficiency compensated by crystal clear visibility in the middle distance. Here is a video clip which, like the still image, was taken from the vantage point of a hill within Queen's Park. On my walk around Queen's Park I encountered the mastiff shown below. Despite it's size the animal is only 15 months old and still growing. The breed is an Italian Cane Corso. This is usually kept as a companion or guard dog. It may also be used to protect livestock and in the past was used for hunting game.Seemingly a passive and friendly dog.,

  Stained Glass at St. Lawrence’s Church, Evesham, England This evening, I am focusing on an interesting church in Evesham, central England. Worship at St. Lawrence’s ceased in 1978 since when it has been cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust. Prior to that development, the church had a long and chequered history, a summary of which is as follows: First mentioned 1195 and built for the congregation residing on the west side of Evesham. Enjoyed a close relationship with the nearby Benedictine Abbey. Rebuilt around 1295 and again around 1540. Fortunes of the church declined on dissolution of the nearby abbey after 1540. By 1659 the church had no clergy. Fell into decay until a new vicar appointed in 1735 and repair work undertaken including a new roof. The new roof soon collapsed and thereafter building was derelict and unused. Extensive restoration undertaken 1836-7 by Edward Rudge using services of architect, Harvey Eginton. Good quality stained glass installed in 19th

  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

 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

  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

 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