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| Clouds nice and dramatic |
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| NO DUMPING. Let's see what lies over the bridge |
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| Of course |
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| Campsies in the distance. The climber Tom Weir described how as a young boy in Springburn he would hike out to these hills |
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| Oh a recumbent passing |
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| Pressing on |
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| Abandoned petrol station |
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| Locked path to railway |
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| Looking back |
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| World Buffet |
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| Coming into Bishopbriggs |
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| On Kirkintilloch Rd |
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| We'll cross over, have a look at the field |
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| Coming to Park Rd |
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| Coming up to Cowden Drive |
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| Handlebar shot |
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| Bring the Dream Home - In Every Dream Home, a Heartache |
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| When we come back we will be crossing to get to the canal over the road |
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| We're going down that lane across the road |
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| Asda on our right |
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| Love the giant polo mint. Gorgeous house, actually |
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| Coming up to Westerhill Rd |
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| We're heading up here to HarperCollins |
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| HarperCollins coming up on our right |
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| I remember cycling in the morning Ruoert Murdoch took over when we were still Collins - someone had put up Sun posters on the fence |
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| Now back in Kirkintilloch Rd, we are going to head down Hilton Rd over there |
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| East Dunbartonshire Recycling Centre |
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| Hinton becomes Balmuildy Rd |
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| Now at Firth and Clyde Canal |
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| That path not the one we want |
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| Looking back |
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| We head back to Glasgow along that path |
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| Through this gate |
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| What lurks beneath |
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| Looking back |
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Pressing on. For more on the canal and its swans and fowk see
Forth and Clyde Canal 1
Forth and Clyde Canal 2
|
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| Pressing on |
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| Quite busy for cyclists - we meet our first runner |
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| I like this tree coming up. I commuted along here for about 15 years. An old friend |
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| Handlebar shot |
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| Anglers |
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| The horizon forming a Hogarthian line of beauty |
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Possil Loch and March off to our right. See
From wiki -
'Possil Marsh has been under the custodianship of the Scottish Wildlife Trust since 1982, when it was acquired as a gift. Prior to this it had been managed by the Scottish Society for the Protection of Wild Birds, on behalf of the Scottish Wild Birds Sanctuaries Trust, since 1950. This management, and subsequent protection, has resulted in little alteration within the site in the past 50 years. Due to its importance, the marsh was first notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1954. Subsequently it was then designated a bird sanctuary under Wild Bird Statutory Instrument 1956 No 333 (S10). Following the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the bird sanctuary was redesignated under Wild Birds (Possil Marsh Sanctuary Glasgow) Amendment Order 1983. At present the reserve has multiple occupation – 4 owners, 2 occupiers, 1 owner/occupier. It also has British Trust for Ornithology status and district importance for wintering wildfowl, and its diversity of wintering birds, supporting up to 150 bird species, with 22 species recorded breeding. In addition to this it also contains a diverse number of invertebrate fauna, including 2 nationally scarce species and a number of locally scarce species, as well as many important plant species.' |
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| Miles to Nowhere |
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| Nice cloud |
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| We'll pause for a moment here |
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| Possil Loch over there |
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| Possil Marsh entrance |
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| Think that's Balmore Rd exit above. . . |
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| . . .and here |
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| Note wee memorial coming up on right |
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| Other side of the bridge |
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| Add caption |
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| Above the railway |
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| More erased destinations |
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| Lochburn Gate, Lochburn Rd |
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| Cadder Rd down there: no relation to the Cadder church we passed in Kirkintilloch Rd |
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| Here we are. We have to drop temporarily off the canal path and head down to Lochburn Rd |
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| More annoying damage to signage |
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| Before we drop down to get to path continuing on other side, we'll have a look around |
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| On bridge looking down - we come down that path on right |
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| Another runner |
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| Across the canal |
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| Another memorial |
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| Celtic scarf and union jack |
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| Candle |
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| Fading images - signs to the past |
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| Red, white and blue, and green |
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| Above us only sky |
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| Down we go |
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| Tricky tunnel to go through, this |
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| Nasty pothole coming up |
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| A horror for cyclists. Duly reported |
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| We rejoin the path up here to the right. Maryhill Rd is up ahead |
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| Looking back |
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| Home stretch now |
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| Handlebar shot |
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| The memorial |
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| Runners more common this side - more people living beside the canal I suppose |
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| Handlebar shot again. These accidental pics are as good as my taken-with-care ones, Sheesh |
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| We'll cut up to the bridge for a minute |
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| Runners on Ruchill St, on the bridge |
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| We're heading back along the right path |
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| Down we go |
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50-66 Ruchill St over there. B-listed See
|
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| Where we started |
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| Down we go |
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| Student residences across the bridge |
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| Back on Maryhill Rd |
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| Let's cross over |
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| Pub for sale |
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| Heading for Queen Margaret Drive |
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| Steps we do not take |
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| Envious Bridal. Envious of what? |
Thank you for browsing, dear visitor. My other wee blogs are
http://parkeddogs.blogspot.com/
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/
Reviews of Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know
RADIO AND TELEVISON
'I love it - I'm giving this copy to a friend and buying another for myself' - Darren Adam, Presenter, Radio Forth, 17 November 2008
‘It’s a great wee book’ – Stephen Jardine, introducing Edwin Moore on Scottish Television’s Five-Thirty Show
'A fantastic book' - Scott Wilson , talk 107 Breakfast Show host
'A great read' - Dougie Jackson, Drivetime host, Smooth Radio 105.2
THE PRESS
'Despite its apparently humorous format, this is a serious and extensive dictionary on all things Scottish; from Jean Redpath to Lorne sausage, from Flodden to the Corries. Is particularly good on history and minutiae. There's a useful chapter on famous Scottish legal cases and another on literature. Excellent' - Royal Scottish Legion, Feb 2009
'This is the ultimate Scottish reference book' - Waterstones Christmas catalogue, 2008
'This is a fascinating look at the history of Scotland: its languages, politics and great achievements, from its origins in the ancient landmass of Laurentia 400 million years ago, to devolution and Billy Connolly. Edwin Moore has collected a thousand important facts about this beautiful country, covering Scottish history and culture, correcting misconceptions, and examining the mysteries of haggis and bagpipes with insight, warmth and impressive attention to detail' - The Good Book Guide, November 2008
'This is a recipe for revealing how horribly ill informed you are about your country. Although, if you are skillful, you can nod sagely as you read some new fact and mutter 'Ah, yes!' as if recalling the information from your excellent schooling. Where else will you find a real recipe for making haggis from scratch side by side with a potted biography of David Hume; a section of the Declaration of Arbroath and the curiously touching fact that Lulu was only 15 when she had a hit with 'Shout'? The whole thing is of course, silly - but oh so addictive.' - Matthew Perren, i-on Glasgow, December 2008
'. . . well crafted and witty' - Bill Howatson, Aberdeen Press and Journal, 18 October 2008
‘While most of Edwin’s entries are entertaining and scholarly – he writes like a Scottish Bill Bryson – it is when he takes an interest in the backwaters of history, the details lost down the back of the sofa, that he is at his best’ – Jack McKeown, The Courier, 27 October 2008
'History, it is said, is written by the victors. Trivia, meanwhile, is written by the guys with the smeared spectacles and the breathable rainwear. The first discipline is linear and causal; to quote from Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys, history is “just one f****** thing after another”. Things look different, though, when viewed through the prism of trivia. The past is reduced to one big coleslaw of fascinating facts that in their randomness tell a more mixed-up tale entirely.
The first approach leads to big, frowning books by the likes of Tom Devine and Michael Fry. The latter results in small, cheerful books such as Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin Moore’s valiant attempt to navigate the more trivial contours of enlightenment and clearances, crown and parliament, dirt and deity.
Moore proceeds from a sincere and controversial first principle: Scotland is really a rather pleasant and interesting place. . .As a work of popular scholarship, though, it’s in a different league to the Scottish novelty titles that get stocked next to the bookstore tills as potential impulse purchases, those little handbooks of parliamo Caledonia and regional braggadocio, such as Weegies vs Edinbuggers.' - Allan Brown The Sunday Times, 21 September 2008
'In his book, Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin celebrates all that sets us Scots as a race apart - our language, law, flora, food, and of course, our people. From our poets, architects and inventors, to our artists, entertainers and fighters. But he doesn't shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of our history. . .' - Robert Wight, Sunday Post, 14 September 2008
‘We think we know all about William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and the Union of the Crowms. However, according to Edwin Moore, author of , Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, we’re still in the dark about many aspects of our history and culture. . . The Big Issue looks at 20 of the most astonishing examples of secret Scotland.’ – The Big Issue, 18-24 September 2008
'What's the connection between Homer Simpson and Larbert, and why are generations of lawyers grateful to a Paisley snail? Need to know more? Author Edwin Moore has gathered 1000 facts like these about Scotland in a quirky new book. Brian Swanson selects a few favourites. . .' - Scottish Daily Express, 13 September 2008
'The palm for Christmas-stocking books seems to have passed recently to popular science, with best selling titles every year such as Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? This year there has been a gallant attempt at a historical fight back. Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know(Atlantic Books, £12.99) asks (and answers) such post-turkey questions as ‘How many kings of Scotland died in their beds?’, ‘Who on earth decided that the Declaration of Arbroath was the cornerstone of modern democracy?’ or ‘Why is iron brew spelled Irn-Bru?’ Mark Mazower,History Today; The Best of History in 2008, December 2008
'A real treat for the serendipitous Scotophile' - Reginald Hill
FROM THE INTERWEB
www.Booksfromscotland.com (on the new paperback edition)
Book of the Month, May 2010
'Whether it's Scottish lochs or Enlightenment philosophers, the facts of the devolution referendums or the mysteries of Irn-Bru, myths will be debunked and truths revealed in this light-hearted but rigorous overview of Scottish history and culture.'
Also available for download on Amazon's e-book store is my 100 Brief Encounters (only £3.06!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Brief-Encounters-ebook/dp/B006CQ8G84/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322393003&sr=1-1
Here are some reviews of the print edition (published by Chambers in 2007) -
Edwin Moore's quirky collection of a hundred encounters between (mostly) important historical figures is a gem of a book. Where else could you get concise enlightening accounts of Henry VIII wrestling with Francis I, Geronimo surrendering to General Miles, Ernest Hemingway presenting Fidle Castro with a fishing trophy or (as seen on the books cover) a baby faced Bill Clinton shaking hands with John F Kennedy. A marvelous 'little window on human history. ' - Dominic Kennerk, Waterstone's Product Planning and Promotions Co-ordinator (From the Waterstone's 'We Recommend' list for 2008)
Witty, light and packed with information -- The Sunday Herald
In 1936, in the wake of winning a clutch of gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, the great athlete Jesse Owens was snubbed by an imperious leader, on racial grounds. Popular belief would have it that the leader was Hitler, who is said to have stormed off, furious to see a black man beating European athletes. In fact the man in question was President Roosevelt, who worried that paying attention to Owens' triumphs might be a vote loser. Although Owens and the German Chancellor never talked, Owens claimed that Hitler greeted him with an enthusiastic wave. Such near-misses, shakings of hands and ships-in-the-night meetings are the subject of Brief Encounters – Meetings between mostly remarkable people, a likeable new book by Edwin Moore (Chambers £7.99). Flicking through the index, you will find some expected encounters (Dante stares at Beatrice, Corday stabs Marat, The Beatles strum along to a Charlie Rich record round at Elvis's house), and the book's intriguing and memorable cover shows a baby-faced Bill Clinton manfully gripping the hand of JFK. But Moore has navigated past some of the more obvious collisions, collusions and confrontations of history (there is no Dr Livingstone, I presume) and much of the book's pleasure derives from lesser known incidents.
Inevitably, some of the accounts of earlier meetings are somewhat sketchy but Moore offers some piquant speculation, laced with humour (the book is tagged Reference / Humour, rather than History and this feels right, but the book, though wry and opinionated, never stoops to wackiness). I was intrigued to discover that, though Attila the Hun did die on his wedding night, it was not in drunken and lecherous debauchery, as his enemies maintained, but supposedly because he was generally a simple and clean-living man who had a few too many which brought on a particularly bad nosebleed.
Moore's book is full of such tales – it would be wrong of me to steal the tastiest morsels of his research and pepper this article with them, but look out for a subsidiary reason for the Gunpowder Plot (too many dour and powerful Scots in Parliament); a great meeting of great beards, as Castro wins the Hemingway prize for sea-fishing; Dali bringing a skeptical Freud round to the art of the surrealists; Buffalo Bill's wife claiming an aged Queen Victoria had propositioned him; Oscar Wilde getting a kiss from Walt Whitman, while Walter Scott was more taken with Burns's charismatic eyes. This is an enjoyable and vigorous rattle through some fascinating and believable yarns. My only quibble is that it's a little on the short side – let's have Volume 2 please Chambers! - Roddy Lumsden, www.Books from Scotland.com
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