Todays Picture

Todays Picture
Squinty Bridge Glasgow

Tuesday 31 August 2010

Now That's What I Call A Green Car!


I try and keep my blog free of any trace of blatant commercialism but I had a good laugh at the "eco car" parked over at Cathcart this afternoon.

Innocent fruit drinks have to be the yummiest on the planet and they are additive free with all their products. I have been drinking them for years.

My only complaint, "Why do they not do a big carton of their yoghurt and vanilla drink"?

Come on Innocent, give me the answer. The wee ones are too wee and don't tell me that you can't because you used to do it.

Sunday 29 August 2010

Now, Those Were The Days!






It could have been a scene from a 50's movie.

Parked up in the west end of Glasgow, I spotted this fantastic old Vauxhall Velox in mint condition.

All that chromium shining in the sun, utterly brilliant.

They just don't make em like that anymore.

Thursday 19 August 2010

A Hidden Gem.




I was asked along to an art exhibition at the Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow's Trongate
recently to view the work of artist Ryan Muttar.

I've lived in Glasgow most of my life and had only just heard of this fantastic old venue. It opened its doors in 1857 and such luminaries as Dan Leno, Harry Lauder and a sixteen year old Stan Laurel have all tread the boards during a somewhat colourful past.

It was quite an experience, you could feel the atmosphere and easily imagine the noise of the crowd.

Quite unexpectedly, we were treated to an act of bygone times involving a young lady covered in balloons brandishing a long pin. As this is a family blog, I'll leave the rest up to your imagination.

This is undoubtedly one of Glasgow's best kept secrets.

"The Pipes, The Pipes Are Calling".





Last Saturday, the annual World Pipe Championships took place on Glasgow Green.

Now the pipes are a bit like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. With over 55,000
people turning out to witness this spectacular, there can be no doubt they are a huge tourist draw. Bands from all over the world compete for the coveted trophy and in this 100th anniversary year, the St Laurence O'Toole pipe band from Dublin picked up the top award.

I caught up with Craig Muirhead and Jonathan Graham during the day to take a photograph of them in their capacity as the "Hero Pipers of Delhi". They have the honour of playing the pipes during the official handover of the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow for 2014 in
Delhi later in October. One small fact, the audience watching is estimated to be around a billion.

No pressure then!

Saturday 7 August 2010

Bygone Days.


It is always a great sight to see the Waverley at sea. Last Sunday I took this shot at Largs on the Clyde Coast.

Monday 2 August 2010

The Annual Glasgow Show.















It was all happening on Saturday at Glasgow Green, the annual show got off to a rather damp start but it didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the gathered masses.




I have covered thousands of similar things in my career so far but the ingenuity of the human race never ceases to amaze me.




There were phenomenal stunts on horses, motorbikes, one guy even set himself on fire and jumped from a platform for our entertainment while the compere announced "Don't try this at home".



































The birds of prey were great to see but one of the handlers told me that one of them had got spooked and had taken to the trees. He told me that it had an electronic tag and could be detected and it would come back when it got hungry.
































Up at the main stage, there was a Michael Jackson tribute act which drew in thousands of people and then I heard a another famous voice in the background. It was my old friend Mark Wylie. Now Mark has an amazing act consisting of highly trained stunt ducks
appropriately called "The Drakes of Hazard" who perform death defying stunts which leave can leave an audience speechless.




















And finally, from a galaxy far, far, away, even Darth Vadar dropped in for a look.

All this for £4.00, a bargain.