Spittal of Glenshee / Perthshire visit – Part 1

Finally got out the house to do some walking, etc., and was quite surprised by the beauty of small (very) things.

We headed to the Spittal of Glenshee, a remote area just south of the Cairngorms and the Glenshee Skiing “resort” in Central Scotland. We went from Glasgow, then Stirlingshire, and finally, the A9 (now an almost complete dual carriageway), to Pitlochry. Where there was a great deal of low fog – looked spooky.

Fog in the glen

From Pitlochry, it was then on a simply dreadful road (the A924 with black ice), that turned into the B950, that then lead us on to the A93 (running between the Spittal and Blairgowrie). From here, it was easy to see the Cairngorms, where the Glenshee Ski Resort is located.

The distant Cairngorms and snow

From here, we had the turnoff to our destination of the night, the Dalmunzie Castle hotel, which we will have more on tomorrow.

CB

The Week Ahead, the year in Review (if I feel like it) / Vino Valentino, Glasgow –

Can’t wait til I can Travel again . . . .

The final week of the year, and it has ended just like the last one, with us locked up and I for one am tired of it, considering I’ve been treble vaxxed. But I never do politics and will once again for the foreseeable future, simply have to make my own fun.

I will give my music single and album of the year, TV of the year and try to do a movie of the year, though did not really see any to be fair!

But during the last week, had to have a wine and popped in to a delightful, local, wine bar, Vino Valentino, only a stone’s throw from the house; where after asking for advice for a fruity wine, received one and it was a hit.

Vino Valentino – Various Shots

It’s small and quaint, and believe only about a dozen can fit in, at a squeeze. Also, they do a limited food platter that I’ve seen but never have tried.

Recommended!

CB

More Glasgow Street Art – With a belated Climate Theme

Interesting this one, with all the walking about of the last few weeks, I’d noticed this wee gem somewhere in the West End of Glasgow.

COP26 – Climate Street Art

This is even more interesting, as the @fifthwallvc, is actually a corporate, international investment group?

Interesting

CB

More Glasgow Street Art – Ruthven Lane, West End, Glasgow

This art is located in Ruthven Lane, just off from Byres Road, and is a porthole into a good many, smaller shops and organisations.

Ruthven Lane, off Byres Road, West End, Glasgow, Scotland

Am not sure, but this signature looks like its “Dan Leo” and have searched for him to see if he has other work to his name.

He appears to be not only highly talented, but also to specialise in large, street murals – well done!

More work from Ruthven Lane, Glasgow

CB

Christmas Albums – Various Artists – Spotify Easy Christmas – 2021

Spotify’s “Easy Christmas”

Another one from Spotify, which a very mixed bag, with anything from Bing Crosby, to some simply terrible remakes of both Do They Know it’s Christmas? and Together in Electric Dreams (how this one made it to a Christmas album, I’ll never know?

OTOH, it IS an eclectic mix, that manages to stay calm and low, with even some new ones? from the likes of Coldplay to Little Mix; so why not?

CB

The Week Ahead – Still stuck in Glasgow

Ah, it’s the Yuletide season, and with surgeries and the ongoing lockdown in parts of Europe (Germany, France and Holland), am still basically stuck here for Christmas in Glasgow, but then again there are worse places, in fact, I’m loving it.

So what about a picture of the last time that I was actually in an airport, when I was flying back from Deutschland, and had to stay a night at Frankfurt Airport – a very modern Frankfurt Airport – stunning really, with everything one needed to survive a few days – shops, food, drink and even COVID tests!

This week, more Christmas music, more shots from Glasgow, and more reviews of a lot of cafes and restaurants here in Scotland.

CB

George Square, Glasgow – Illuminations for Christmas

What a surprise, a look at Glasgow’s quite small Christmas Market, dinner at a new restaurant on a very busy Glasgow Friday night, and then a completely pleasant walk into a very bright George Square – superb.

It started between the Xmas market, where we noticed a well known busker, Ben Montieth, who was an opener for Emilie Sands a few years ago, drawing a large crowd:

To a walk along Buchanan Street, itself very well lit up!

To the lights in George Square themselves, where my first impression was the simple amount of them! It turned the night into day, with many photo opportunities. First were the lights on the City Hall,

Glasgow City Hall

To various shots that included the Nativity Scene and some reindeer.


To the final shot, where a good deal of people, including our party, took a shot of themselves inside a lighted, hollow sphere.

I think it’s a Christmas bulb?

CB

Kelvin Way, Glasgow, Scotland – Something done right during COVID

One of the better things during these COVID days, if there could be one, is the fact that many people here in Glasgow, Scotland, and presumably in the UK, have been forced to stay on the island and see what we have here.

Specifically here in Glasgow, the local council decided to pedestrianise the Kelvin Way; a tree line boulevard that separates our Kelvingrove Park, from Glasgow University.

I went for a brief walk there recently, and noticed this again, free from cars, though not from the odd insane bicyclist!

Kelvingrove Park Bandstand

In addition, I had a shot of our wonderful bandstand, that at one stage a few years ago was borderline derelict, but now looks splendid, particularly when we have sun!

CB

Christmas Albums – Various- “Christmas Peaceful Piano” – 2021

And my Lord, have they got that title right!

Spotify

It is just SO peaceful, with my favourite, as usual, being Do you hear what I Hear, lovely. Please follow the link, as I had no idea that the song was written with the Cuban Missile Crisis in mind!

It includes another fave, the delightful Sussex Carol, that sounds just so old and warm, like a log fire in a cabin.

CB