Archive for July, 2016


PicPost: Sceptre

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19/07/2016
Teasel- picture by Nigel Barker

Teasel- picture by Nigel Barker

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Scotland 2016: Arts, crafts and plants…oh and cake!

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18/07/2016

WP_20160515_15_01_07_ProOur second full day in Glasgow. Having taken the short train trip in from East Kilbride, we set off once more on the tourist bus and stopped off to see the Transport exhibits at the Riverside Museum..

From here we bussed and walked to the Botanical Gardens, where there were some very interesting, exotic displays in various glasshouses and plenty of very pleasant outside areas where people were soaking up the spring sunshine in their lunch breaks…

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A short walk to the Kelvingrove Museum and Park where we explored some of the superb art and artefacts on display and then went onto see Mackintosh’s School of Art- which you probably know is undergoing significant rebuilding after the fire which severely damaged some of the best known areas, such as the library….

Sauchiehall Street called …. and we took advantage of the Willow Tea Rooms  (another Mackintosh gem) for a classic afternoon tea…

The day ended with a walk through the town centre, catching the bus once more (having had a quick look around City Hall) exploring the ‘People’s Park’ alongside the river followed by a look around a Mackintosh museum and a quick beer in the famous ‘Horse Shoe’ Bar…

Back to East Kilbride for an evening meal and then home the next day.We scraped the surface of Glasgow in two days, and shall certainly return for another look at this very lively, friendly and engaging place.

 

Further information: www.peoplemakeglasgow.com

Old School Gardener

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PicPost: Scarlet Fever

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17/07/2016
Red Hibiscus- picture by Crystal Myles

Red Hibiscus- picture by Crystal Myles

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Scotland 2016: Celebrating Death…and Rebirth, in Glasgow

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16/07/2016

WP_20160515_13_25_28_ProHaving completed our journey from Skye to East Kilbride, just south of Glasgow, we spent a wonderful couple of days exploring ‘the second city of empire’. We’d never been before…we were wondering what it would be like, given it had a rather ‘mixed’ reputation in former days.

We needn’t have worried. Yes, this is a working city and there are parts which aren’t that pretty. But the efforts to regenerate the centre and its surrounds seem to have paid off. We were impressed at the range and quality of the architecture and cultural offerings here…and the friendliness of the people.

Today’s post sets out some pictures from our first full day’s visit, when we took the tourist bus and initially stopped off to visit the Cathedral…

From here it was short walk to the Necropolis set out above the city, it is a wonderful space celebrating the lives of Glasgow’s worthies…and glorious on a sunny day with lovely cloud formations. We stopped off to chat to a group of RSPB volunteers busy stripping turf in order to create more wildlife (bird) friendly spaces amidst the tombstones….

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And from here we discovered a super museum in one of the oldest merchant houses (‘Provand’s Lordship’) in the city and with its own, rather special tudor-style garden with knots of Box and interesting beds iof medicinal and other herbs…

Our second day featured a trip to the Botanical Gardens, Museums the Mackintosh-designed School of Art and afternoon tea at another  Rennie Mackintosh project….more of that in a couple of days..

Further information: www.peoplemakeglasgow.com

Old School Gardener

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Harlow New Town: ‘Are you going my way?’ — Municipal Dreams

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15/07/2016

Last week’s post looked at the origins of Harlow New Town and the architectural and planning ideals – sharply criticised by some – which inspired it. It was, in every sense, a young town but it’s grown up since then. This post explores what became of the high hopes. By 1954, the first of Harlow’s […]

via Harlow New Town: ‘Are you going my way?’ — Municipal Dreams

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PicPost: Abseiling

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Poppy - picture by Wendy Sinclair

Poppy – picture by Wendy Sinclair

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Great Dixter – again — The Enduring Gardener

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14/07/2016

Well when you have one of the world’s great gardens nearby, it’s pretty irresistible. The team at Great Dixter were holding a press day, and although I know the garden very well, there are always things to learn, techniques to observe , new plants to see and the ever-changing plantings to admire. I will do…

via Great Dixter – again — The Enduring Gardener

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Scotland 2016: The Hill House, Helensburgh

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IMG_1113Our journey away from Skye featured a slow start- we got stuck behind a convoy of three huge trailers carrying the blades of a wind turbine! After a very good lunch en route we made our way alongside Loch Lomond (it’s rather long!) and eventually reached Helensburgh on the Clyde Estuary and specifically The Hill House. This gem of the National Trust for Scotland is one of the few houses designed by the renowned Art Nouveau Scottish Architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Built in 1902-3, to get close to some original Mackintosh design features- especially in the interior of the house- was a joy. Needless to say the attention to detail- somewhat typical of the ‘architecture for the rich’ at this time- was delightful. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take photographs inside, but here are a few ‘culled’ from the ‘net…

And the gardens didn’t disappoint either, though these had rather less of the Mackintosh touch, the owner of the house probably playing a more important role in shaping its design, features and planting. The garden today is testament to a painstaking programme of restoration and whilst the layout is pretty typical for grand houses of this period- with formal, terraced lawns combined with a series of ‘garden rooms’- it nonetheless was a lovely experience strolling through these in the spring sunshine. It was also nice to be able to buy a few spare plants from the cottage garden, including ‘Jacob’s Ladder’.

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I’d say a ‘must see’ if you’re in this part of Scotland.

Further information: www.nts.org.uk

Old School Gardener

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Sit a Spell. It’s Not as Easy as You Think. by Allen Bush — Garden Rant

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13/07/2016

I seldom sit in my garden. There are too many distractions. I have spots where I like to sit, but as soon as I plop my weary ass down, I see a stray weed. I’m not the only one distracted. Evelyn Hadden fought back. Rather than be dragged down with garden chores, she found a…

via Sit a Spell. It’s Not as Easy as You Think. by Allen Bush — Garden Rant

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July Notebook — Digging for Dirt

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Find out which tasks you need to do to keep your own garden looking great and take a peek at what Winterbourne has to offer this month…

via July Notebook — Digging for Dirt

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