Friday 13 January 2012

Wha stole yir scone, son ?





I feel i must post something, lest you start imagining that I have been taken up in a spaceship to an alien planet where I am locked in a  house and expected to copulate with a silicon enhanced porn actress in front of an audience of mutants.
How well Kurt Vonnegut foretold Celebrity Big Brother.


I've been getting around locally, a couple of miles here, five miles there, gradually working up the distance and the ascent. Today I was out and about in lovely crisp January weather on the university campus.
I've posted about this before, but make no apology for doing so again.

What ? You insist ?
OK.
"Line in  the sand" "No one person was to blame" "Mistakes have been made" " Lessons have been learned " " Time to move on " "This is the humblest day of my life" "Blah, blah, blah"
Will that do ?







If I might be allowed to continue.
The second of the recent storms (not Hurricane Bawbag - the one after it ) did a lot of damage around here . A lot of trees down on the campus and in the village, and the sound of chain saws and chippers is everywhere.












Swan Central !
It's a pleasant stroll around the loch


This is a memorial to Tom Cottrell, the first Principal and driving force behind the establishment of the University. It's called The Pursuit of Knowledge. I like the concept, but not necessarily the execution. Its a bit too, well, blue for my taste, but then works of art are supposed to challenge.


The Pathfoot Buiding was the first building on site, and now holds the collection of modern Scottish art. Mainly dross, in my opinion, with a few nuggets shining through.




This  stone used to stand in the market square of Pathfoot village and marked the site of a small Tryst or cattle fair. The "Path" in Pathfoot was the then main road from the North coming down off Sheriffmuir and heading for Stirling Bridge.The stone has been moved several times, and, as you can see, during one move it suffered a wee accident.
"Fuxxache, Davie. You've dropped it. We'll aw get oor jotters"
"Wisnae ma faut. It just slid aff the forks, like. It's an auld yin anyway."
"But it's awfy historical"
"Well, noo they've got two historical stanes fur the price o' wan. Result"
"Away ya bam. Look , they might no notice. Willie, run doon tae the workshop and bring me back two o' thae big tubes o' Araldite"



This is Blawloan, The last remaining house in Pathfoot. The inhabitants were traditionally makers and repairers of shoes.
"Cobblers ?"
No, it's true, I tell you. (copyright Benny Hill, circa 1965)

And so, homeward via the paper shop for a Euromillions ticket

8 comments:

  1. Blue skies finally arrive and I'm stuck at bl*** work all day. Still - at least I get to chuckle at you're dusted down Benny Hill gags. Can we have you chasing lingerie clad beauties to 'that' tune next time?

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  2. I'm guessing that one of the photies is of Airthry Castle. If so this is, by virtue of birth, my country house...along with thousands of others, I suspect.

    For some reason your blog don't like my wordpress ID anymore (lol).

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  3. Your university campuses (campii?) look a hell of a lot nicer than ours down in Englandshire. Birmingham was right in the middle of Selly Oak, a 'cosmopolitan' neighbourhood.

    I think we should have some of our money back so we can build nice universities like wot you got!
    "FREEDOM!"

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    Replies
    1. Have you seen Inverness UHI? Not so pretty...

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  4. "If what Billy Pilgrim learned from the Tralfamadorians is true, that we will all live forever, no matter how dead we may sometimes seem to be, I am not overjoyed. Still--if I am going to spend eternity visiting this moment and that, I'm grateful that so many of those moments are nice."

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  5. Mark, unfortunately, in these politically correct times, chasing lingerie clad lovelies to fast saxaphone music carries a mandatory 3 year sentence and a lifetime on the sex offenders register.

    Kenny, You're right. I wondered when I saw your name on the blue plaque at the door.

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  6. Behave yourself, Alan. You've been reading the Daily Mail again. Just because all the revenue is collected by the London based HMRC and then redistributed doesn't make it "your" money.Scotland is still a net contributor - it's just that we chose to spend our money on health education and welfare rather than squander it on fripperies like Domes, Olympics, Channel tunnels, and fast trains from London to Brum ( £33 billion ! Jeezo, on a clear day you can just about see Finchley from the top of the Lickeys !)
    And Birmingham Uni seemd quite pleasant out in leafy Selly Oak as I used to pass it on the bus on my way to work

    ReplyDelete