Wildlife

That title in Glasgow might not immediately make you think of furry beasts, and I don't remember too many non domestic animals around when I was growing up but now the area around my parents' house boast a number of deer (who wander fearlessly around the neighbour's garden in the day) and several foxes which hang out after dark. There was even some roadkill (fox) on the main road when I was out running which is rather less common here than in the US.

The bird life on the other hand is somewhat diminished. Plenty of small birds, rooks, pigeons and magpies but few larger garden birds and no seagulls. The latter is likely because the rubbish dump a mile away is now closed... as our proximity to the sea hasn't changed (yet) despite the warnings of sea level rises.

Basketball in Bishopbriggs

Since I was last here the council has installed a fenced in basketball court in the park near my parents' home. Up until recently I've seen it used quite regularly... but only (as I might have predicted) to play football (soccer). But yesterday there was a group playing two on two basketball. While NBA scouts might not be queuing in the expectation of finding the next Robert Archibald it was an interesting development in a place where a round ball is generally only handled by a goalkeeper.

Well Behaved Dogs (shame about the people)

We've started exploring the area by bike in the last couple of weeks, using the Forth and Clyde Canal and a trail following the old railway line from Kirkintilloch to Strathblane. Both are extensively used by runners (inclding Tim on many occasions), dog walkers and pedestrians, and many dogs are off lead. In the US this would make me nervous (our dog would have been a menace if we were not paying attention) but here most dogs just wander on by oblivious, some halt at a word from their owners and the few that might be a problem due to youth or nature are held by the owner with most obviously being trained. Now we know we'll have to be good about training when we can finally get our own!

On the other hand the litter in many areas, even attractive rural ones is totally out of hand. There are not shortage of bins but a significant proportion of the people of Scotland seem to be unable to use them. Kudos to people who join the all to frequent (and much needed) clean up days in parks and on trails and waterways and shame on the litter louts.

Spring is Sprung (slowly)

After getting used to New York where winter usually ends in early April followed by mud season, a rapid increase in temperature and everything seeming to turn summer green in about a week it is interesting to be somewhere where everything seems to happen in slow motion. We have had spectacular daffodils for weeks now, each day over that period a few more bushes and latterly trees are beginning to green up and the sun is a little warmer but on the whole most days top out at 12°C and we get the usual cloudy days with periods of sun (though pretty dry this year).

Another big difference is the length of the days. It's less than 3 weeks since we changed to summer time and already it'll be light till 8.30 on a bright day.

Paperwork Plus

It feels like we have been singlehandedly saving the ailing Royal Mail, but finally we are crawling out from under the deluge of paper. I still don't have my UK registration finalised but I think it's nearly there, and I have a job interview for the most suitable post I've seen advertised given my odd (of course the resume says "varied and valuable") mix of experience. Meanwhile Tracy has sent off a mass of paper in an effort to prove she can qualify as a GP here and another pile to support getting her immigration status made permanent. But at least she now has the required National Insurance number for employment.

So we are still in limbo jobwise... but the sun is shining and our shipment arrived from the US so it's not all bad. Plus Tracy can now apply to do locum jobs in Ireland (in a much easier process than here in the UK due to recent legislation) to keep her skills up to date.

Wow, a Post

I have been a bit lax on this blog, blame the good weather this spring getting me out running or with the camera and the efforts to get all our paperwork squared away.

We finally hit the Scottish hills for a walk this week. OK it was only Earls Seat on the Campsies (a rather unimpressive 1800ft high point on the lumpy ridge of mountains that dominate the view north from Glasgow) but it was a 5 hour day and reminded me of a few things:

1. Scottish hills are wet. Even in a dry spring we were squelching through peat bog, regular bog, streams and saturated moss.

2. Never trust the weather. The forecast was good and we had a generally bright and warmish day, but the hills to the north were barely visible in grey cloud and the rain was pouring down over areas of eastern Glasgow much of the day.

3. The view is always worth the effort. We could see Glasgow in an interesting mix of sun and clouds all the way up and when we reached the summit Loch Lomond was looking good.

4. One day all this might be wind farm. There is a wind farm to the northeast and the flattish, windy, wide open and unproductive Campsies look like prime territory to me.