On my way to the Kelvingrove Gallery my route took me through the Botanic Gardens, Hillhead, and the university.
As I was passing the Advanced Research Centre I noticed a placard saying that the Western café was open to the general public. Reminds me of the Statkraft building in Oslo despite the ARC not having the intense focus on security that Statkraft has. It's more that the first thing you find on entry to the building proper is the café/restaurant and casual meeting spaces.
The guy behind the counter was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food on offer. But I'm only after coffee and a croissant. He recommended the pistachio one which reminded me of the BBC programme I listened to on the way to Glasgow last Friday all about pistachios so I mentioned that and he said he had heard it too and could talk endlessly on pistachios :-)
In the Curler's Rest having a pint Curler's Pale Ale and a packet of Pipers chorizo crisps
Stopped at the Sally Army charity shop and bought three tops and a pair of earrings for a pound each.
I wonder if an anti gambling strategy would be to try to transfer the addiction to charity shops instead of slots. Then it's hard to really overspend to the same degree and if you do then at least the money is going to a useful purpose.
I don't know much about gambling or addiction so take the idea with a pinch of salt but I have the impression that all addictions are similar in some ways, quick gratification being a common feature as well as the belief that one day there will be a big win. Charity shops fill that niche for me and, as far as I can tell, quite a few others. So perhaps instead of confronting the addiction head on with total abstinence why not try redirecting it.
I've taken well over a hundred pictures today so I can't post more than a small fraction. But I haven't photographed a hundred different things. Some items demand closer examination than others, or at least they appeal more to me.
Some examples are: - Pringle a local optician turned painter - the modern tartans, dress in a printed (!) tartan and a unisex trenchcoat - Salvador Dali's Christ - Aphrodite chastising Cupid
Here are some pictures of Dali's painting. They don't do it justice. Look at the details at the bottom of the picture.
For those who, like me, have always associated Dali with melting clocks and other surrealist motifs his Christ is quite a revelation. It shows that Dali was not only a revolutionary artist but also a craftsman of the highest order.
I do wish that there were some way of displaying such works so that every part could be closely examined. While it was easy to get close to the bit few centimetres of the painting the top with the figure of Christ was so much further away that it was hard to see how finely painted it is.
Perhaps there needs to be another viewing platform higher up. Or a lift that could be stopped at whatever level was useful for the viewer.
There are lots of interesting buildings in Glasgow and the university accounts for quite a few. Between Hillhead and the older more traditional university buildings there are many newer buildings with a lot of construction going on. Here's one belonging to the maths department
As I was walking out of the ARC a young man from the café hurried over to me with the blouse I was using as a jacket in his hand. He said he wasn't sure whether I was actually leaving but thought it best to bring it to me just in case.
In the Kelvingrove Gallery I decided that I should visit the loo before going to the café. As I approached the door to the gents a man came out and held the door open and stopped saying that this wasn't the ladies' loo.
I smiled and said I know and that this is nonetheless the right one. I'm not sure because I haven't been keeping score but my impression is that this is happening to me more frequently now. I'm not complaining of course, I'm rather flattered. But is it because I'm passing or simply that the encounters tend to be a little sudden as far as the men are concerned so that they have only a split second to react.
This is how I was dressed. Imagine that you have never seen me before and see me only suddenly. Do I pass?
Just spent two hours wandering in open mouthed wonder around the Kelvingrove Gallery. I've given only a cursory glance or less to most of the items on display and still haven't even visited all galleries.
There are some breathtaking things on display. Originally I was going to visit the Kelvingrove and then move on to visit the commercial centre of Glasgow today via the Subway (the Clockwork Orange). But I'm feeling emotionally exhausted already.
So now I'm in the café having a rather dull almond tart that is described as a frangipani rescued from total boringness by a pot of fruit compote and a not particularly distinguished mochacino. Yesterday's Bakewell at the William Cafe was closer to what expected from frangipani.
As I was extracting some frames from a selfie video and had just reached a rear view that the guys on Fabguys might enjoy (and some people here too) I overheard a scrap of conversation from the two academics at the next table all about some statistical study that apparently included data about anal fissures. I laughed out loud and glanced in their direction, they both laughed too. I apologized saying I just couldn't help it and the man smiled and said he was pleased to have made me laugh.
Here's today's outfit, extracted from the aforementioned selfie video but you'll have to visit the naughty blog later to see the rear view.
Here's a better view of the bench I was sitting on, isn't it delightful?
Aphrodite chastising Cupid. Apparently it was in a dreadful state, filthy and with Cupid missing his head and the arrow after being on display for over a century.until it was restored by a postgraduate student who found copies in Germany and other places that showed how the missing pieces should look and also found the missing head.
I.W.W. stands for Industrial Workers of the World: https://iww.org.uk/
The first thing I saw on visiting the site was a statement regarding the UK Supreme Court decision. That's both encouraging and dispiriting. Encouraging that they stand in solidarity with people like me but dispiriting that it should be necessary.
Statement regarding the EHRC’s anti-trans, pro-segregation guidance 5th June 2026
The I.W.W. remain, as we have done for over 120 years, steadfastly committed to integration, justice, and peace between members of the international working class. The Draft Code of Practice released by the E.H.R.C. last Thursday is diametrically opposed to all three.
