a good glasgow day

After 1 and a half years, somewhere along the line, Glasgow has suddenly become home.

I was mighty resistant after living in picturesque Edinburgh with our homey/handy neighbourhood, wine shop 20 feet from our front door, good friends 5 minutes down Broughton Street, bus lines aplenty, award winning butcher, John Lewis and a movie theater top of the street, friendly and fantastic hairdresser 2 doors down.

Glasgow was big. Grittier. Less convenient. I couldn't (still can't) figure out the buses. We had to walk further to get supplies. And we knew bugger all people. Felt isolating in our big beautiful 2nd floor flat.

Slowly, I found my way. I found my stockists. Where to buy the best bread, who made the best coffees and cakes, who sold local organic eggs. I became a regular. I am on friendly "how are you/nice to see you" terms with many of my local shopkeepers ... even know some by name!

We love our doctors and health visitors. Our pharmacist is a gentle lovely guy. Our NHS dentist 5 minutes away and friendly. I love my yoga and acupuncture place. We are frequent visitors to the cafes and the park. We take pleasure in knowing what's new in the hood.

We walk. EVERYWHERE.

Maybe it is because we have a son now. People on the street smile and coo. (how could you not?) We found kindred friends with babies. We are suddenly part of the community.

It snuck up on me when I wasn't looking. The odd bits of life have collected and glued together.

I feel at home. And it feels remarkable.

beauty in my window

a day out in Largs

Largs- it feels like it is missing a syllable in its name.   (Largstown? Largston? Largshire?)

But we took a wee train trip there Sunday to celebrate the miracle of All Day Sunshine in the west of Scotland. Small town custom built for kids playing, dogs running, couples and old people strolling, ice cream licking, and sea gazing.  It is amazing that in a little over an hour's time out of Glasgow, you can be in a very un-urban world.  Is reassuring.  

Sinead comes to GlasVegas

Willow Tea Rooms, with the Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs

The Apartment for lunch with the Edinburgh gang and the rainy day castle

my summer

all I really feel like doing 

1. reading
2. cooking
3. eating
4. sleeping
5. watching TV

things I will really need now

1. several sized good umbrellas
2. several hooded  waterproof jackets in varying weights
3. to learn to dress for the weather, not the season (just because it is July doesn't mean you won't wear boots)
4. restraint in the vast array of shopping here, awakening my inner consumer
5. to enjoy the late setting sun of British summertime now as I sense how dark and gloomy it will be when it sets at 3:30 pm

card carrying

And, what always makes me feel like a local whenever I move to a new city -- I got a library card! 

The Mitchell Library is one of the largest public reference libraries in Europe.  And is 3 blocks from our house!

more rooms (dedicated to Andy!) (and KQ!)

view from the TV room

view from the office

view from the kitchen

one week in Glasvegas

I finally had a small break in the home-making department to venture out for provisions, air and for some sanity.  

And I was pleasantly rewarded with lots of commerce nearby which will keep us in organic foods, halal meats, coffee, petrol, and the occasional throw pillow. Most importantly, Lupe Pinto's Mexican Deli, where I can get vegetarian refried black beans, real tortilla chips (as opposed to Doritos) black beans in a can, fresh guacamole, margarita mixings, dirty rice and all manner of BBQ hot sauces and other imported American items like Nutter Butters and Fluff and Welches Grape Jelly .

And each shop offers friendly folk. Seriously is putting the midwest in some competition for open smiles and pleasantness.  The phrase I hear more than any other is No Bother.  Although it is pronounced more like Nae Borra. (I sense an entire blog entry on Glaswegian vernacular in the works)

So Mark has not been able to take this last week off to fully dig deep into moving, unpacking and creating, I have been left largely to my own devices.  And it has kinda sucked.  And today held the first light at the end of the tunnel.  

A home is in the making.

controlled chaos

I have too many things in my brain. I have started an entry in my head about 15 times and have gotten distracted. 

And now my hands ache after an entire weekend at the new flat doing hard labour like tiling and grouting and lifting and shifting.  

So here are my random and meandering fleeting thoughts.

• I am not 100% ready to say good bye to Edinburgh
• I am about 60% ready
• I have 4 days to get ready
• Packers come Thurs and movers Friday
• Our new place is really going to be cool
• It still smells like smoke
• Our home now doesn't. It smells like home
• Not having a car is really a pain in the behind when moving
• Mark is a really hard worker and knows a lot about house stuff
• He never complains
• I complain a lot if I have to do too many hard things and then I get into it
• I am an excellent tile grouter
• My hands ache. My nails are split. 
• We painted our bathroom wall raspberry. We have white tiles (and a few black ones)
• It looks cool
• Cornices and 12 feet ceilings really make hiring a painter expensive
• I forget how disruptive moving is and it rather paralyzes me
• I know more about plumbing a bathroom sink that I ever imagined
• Living on the 2nd floor is going to sometimes be annoying
• We have nice new neighbours below us
• Mark can walk to the new place in 6 minutes from work
• It takes him 120 now on the train(s)
• Getting rid of cardboard boxes is a pain
• Glasgow has a lot to explore
• And really cheap and cheerful Chinese delivery
• I have many schedules and project folders and moving detritus 
• We have a great couple moving into our Eburgh flat which makes me very happy
• And, what I keep making Mark say to me, Everything Is Going To Be Ok
• I have to pack now

big day

1. We put a bid on a place in Glasgow.
2. I PASSED my Life in the UK Test. Took it in 4 minutes.
3. I dry roasted some almonds
4. That was the big one