Searching For The Kelpies
On my visit to the Commonwealth Games, I had to travel back to Glasgow, so I thought I’d go via Falkirk and see the Kelpies. On looking it up before I left London, I found that the web site was rather vague This is what it said.
From Edinburgh to Falkirk High (25 minutes) or Falkirk Grahamston (35 minutes)
From Glasgow Queen Street to Falkirk High (20 minutes) or Falkirk Grahamston (50 minutes)
From Stirling to Falkirk Grahamston (15 minutes)
From London direct to Falkirk Grahamston (5 hours) or change at Edinburgh or Glasgow
There are also services to Polmont Station, Larbert Station and Camelon Station.
It mentions several stations but which one is the nearest?
On the way up Princes Street, I got talking to a young lady and by chance, she said she’d been and had taken the train to Falkirk Grahamston station and then walked.
I though I’d check in the Tourist Office at Waverley Station and they said to go to Falkirk High station.
As I’d got one vote for each Falkirk station, I decided to ask a Scotrail Customer Service Agent. He gave me exactly the same story as the young lady, so I went to Falkirk Grahamston.
I took these pictures at Falkirk.
You will notice that none show any information on how to get to the Kelpies. One does show a distant picture of the Kelpies (?) from the train as I approached.
So in the end I walked back to the station and got another train to Glasgow.
Give Falkirk this, they have got the station name in Gaelic and two good maps, even if neither shows the Kelpies or the Falkirk Wheel.
From Glasgow Green To George Square
I then walked from the very crowded Glasgow Green via Glasgow Cross to George Square and eventually Queen Street station to meet my friend.
Note how the railway viaduct threads its way through the city.
Walking Along The Clyde
Is there any other river that is commonly used as a person’s name? I’ve never heard of anybody called Mississippi, Amazon, Nile or Rhine. Not even a child of a celebrity!
I walked along the river to Glasgow Green from Central station.
As with many cities, it has a varied collection of bridges.
It was also extraordinarily sunny. A couple of people were sunbathing by the river. Later in the day, I saw a young lady walking around the city centre wearing a mini skirt, high-heeled sandals and a small bikini top. The weather was just that good!
Note the pictures of the derelict Ladies Waiting Room. There’a a lot more about it here in a blog called Lost Womyn’s Space.
I was also impressed by the City Union Bridge and St. Enoch Viaduct, which could in future be part of Glasgow Crossrail.
Easing London’s Housing Crisis
It’s now four years since I bought this house.
It had been built rather badly by a company called Back Street Developments about ten years ago and there seemed to be no NHBRC registration for it. In the intervening years the previous owners had put tenants in, and they had done there best to wreck it. The owner obviously skimped on maintenance, but then all these facts were reflected in the price I paid.
Some time ago, I started to get the house straight. Finding a builder has been a nightmare!
The first builder walked away from the job after personality clashes between the owner and his work-force, leaving me without a bathroom.
I’ve got one coming in fom outside London, things seem a bit better.
An illustration of the problem is that people locally are always asking, if I know a good builder. I also want to sort my dreadful kitchen. I have asked several companies to look at it and not one has ever made a fixed appointment or even turned up.
I suspect that kitchen companies would prefer to fit out some multi-millionaire’s house in Mayfair, rather than my small kitchen.
I do wonder how many properties are not lived in, as the owners are waiting for a builder to sort it out. And how many people are put off downsizing, as theycan’t be bothered to go through all the hassle of finding a builder.
So if we sorted out the refurbishment of small and medium sized properties, would we release more properties for occupation?
The first thing we should do is to seriously analyse the homes market and identify why properties are empty or under-occupied!
Any soutions we propose should of course be nationwide, as I don’t believe this is just a London problem.
Things You learn In The Middle of The Night
I woke early, so got up and made a cup of tea and did a bit of writing, whilst listening to the excellent Doton Adebayo on Radio 5.
At one point he was talking to a Canadian journalist, who said that due to cutbacks, the Commonwealth Games are not being shown on Canadian television. All they are getting is the odd highlights.
We Have Ways Of Making You Learn
I’ve just read a report in The Times, which says that Munich Technical University, one of German’s best, is going to teach Masters courses in English.
It reminded me of a story told by a Frenchman, who had immaculate English and worked for I think IBM. He went on a company course in Germany, which as participants were from all over Europe, was being conducted in English by a German.
On reaching a concept that some on the course found difficult, he addressed everybody with “We have ways of making you understand these things!”
Somebody had to explain to him, the laughter that followed.
How Would The Scottish Diaspora Vote On Independence?
I ask this question as the BBC has a story about five famous Scots, who live outside Scotland would vote.
I can’t find a poll of Scots outside Scotland asking how they would vote, but I can add an anecdote.
I used to play real tennis with an American, who was an academic at Cambridge. His research area was the relationship of the diaspora, with their original country. He had found that a lot of the troubles in the Indian sub-continent had been funded by donations from abroad. As a Bostonian, he did add that he didn’t think that the Irish in his home city, had helped find a solution in Northern Ireland.
I also think, that we all like places where we grew up or to which we have a strong connection, to do well and have control of their destiny.
For this reason, it could be that if Scots living outside Scotland had the vote, then the referendum would more likely be a vote for independence.
So could Alex Salmond have got it wrong, on not allowing Scots abroad to vote, if he wants the vote to go his way?
A Cool Place For Lunch
It was hot yesterday and I met an old friend for lunch.
As I’m a Friend of the British Museum, for myself and a guest, we went to the Members Room at the British Museum.
My old friend had a wrap and I had a salmon salad. We washed them down with cold lemonade.
The Members Room is air-conditioned and it was a very pleasant way to spend lunchtime on such a hot day.
The Scotties Steal The Show
It is generally reported in the media, that the Scotties stole the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2014. Look at what the Aussies said for example.
But it would appear, that finding enough dogs might have been a problem, as according to this article, they had to bring in Archie from Ringwood in England.
Perhaps they should have shared the duties around and perhaps got in a corgi for the Welsh team to add a touch of humour near the end.
Queen Elizabeth would have been amused!
It will be interesting to see if sales of Black and White whisky increase.
A Scot Gives His Reason To Say No!
On BBC Television this morning, a proud Scot said that he enjoyed the ceremony last night. For him, one of the uplifting moments was the Red Arrows.
He stated that if the Scots vote Yes, then there could be no more displays north of the border. See where their displays for 2014 are here. Two and last night’s performance are in Scotland.
The Anonymous Widower 