Tagged: nature
A Glasshouse Gallery- National Voluntary Arts Week
Today was a gloriously sunny Glasgow day… headed to the Botanic gardens for a good wander as this is a beautiful place in the sun. The tropical heat of the glasshouses is welcome at any time, but on a sunny day it is actually like being abroad!
I was amused to see the large pile of craft which greeted me.. the whole of Kibble Palace was adorned with all things knitted and sewn.
Birds in the Botanics 🙂
There was such a lot of work in this that I feel it should stay for a long time, I am not sure how long is resides at Kibble Palace. I learnt later that this was part of National Voluntary Arts Week where people put many works in public spaces. The birds looked quite at home. I liked this watering can as well, and a few other pieces shown below:
The actual flowers at the Botanics are wonderful, they look almost like art in themselves, especially in the dramatic setting of Kibble Palace with its huge domed roof:
Kibble Palace roof
This is a famous “Glasgow picture” but I let the little fern get in on the action. Kibble Palace is quite different from the People’s Palace and winter gardens, as it is more of a “regional show” of plants, from different areas of the world. There are similarities between the style of display seen in Duthie Park in Aberdeen, as there are also smaller (slightly less grand in appearance, but rich in content) glasshouses with different temperatures and plant life according to these climates. I was admiring the colours and playing with the settings on my camera, so I thought I would share these as well.
Seeking out Quiet Space in the Busy City
Sometimes one would like a quiet space. In Glasgow this is easy, the old nickname for the City is “Dear Green Place” due to the number of parks and gardens within the City boundary so you are never far from a little but of nature. I recently took my camera to the Necropolis (Victorian “City of the Dead” where all the great and good were buried), which some might say is a little bit of a strange way to pass the time, but a wander around this cemetery is far from dismal or spooky as it has some fascinating architectural monuments and wonderful views over the city. If you are lucky you may even run into some of the resident deer, though they were proving to be a little elusive on my visit! I love the care and attention to detail seen in the architectural and monumental masonry, there are some delicate inscriptions and bold columns carved with everything from Greek acanthus leaves to Egyptian eyes.
There is a lot of information on the Glasgow Necropolis in the Glasgow City Council Necropolis Heritage Trail, and the Friends of the Necropolis website. You can often pick up paper versions of the heritage trail from nearby public libraries (try GOMA Library in Queen Street within the City Centre, after a nosey at the art upstairs), or the Tourist Information Centre (now located on Buchanan Street).
When you are finished your wander around the Necropolis, a pleasant place to sit is the Zen Garden designed in 1993 by Yasutaro Tanaka. It sits in the grounds of the Saint Mungo Museum of religious life which houses a fascinating collection of paintings and objects from all over the world and celebrates the diversity of Glasgow’s cultural heritage and population. One can even take tea in the zen garden on a sunny day, as there is a restful cafe in the museum.
Crenellated Arts 