I know... it's been a while. But I have been busy!

All the photographs I took in Glasgow (and from the train on the way home) can be viewed by following this link.

On the first Sunday of 2010 Nina and walked through the frozen streets of Leicester, with luggage in hand, to the train station. We boarded a 2 carriage train to Birmingham where we transferred to a luxurious Virgin train for the remaining 4.5 hour journey to Glasgow. With upholstered seats, spacious tables and power sockets at all seats, the journey was quite enjoyable.

We arrived in Glasgow Central Station around supper time, which was how we planned it. Nina had a copy of Lonely Planet’s guide to Great Britain and we had an Italian restaurant planned and plotted on the map before the train came to a standstill. We walked through the icy streets of downtown Glasgow until we arrived at the restaurant we sought. Designed to look like a rustic trattoria, it felt cosy and warm with great smells wafting from the open kitchen. Both Nina and I were adventurous in our choices and, regrettably, neither of us chose well.

We took a taxi to our hotel in the Kelvingrove neighbourhood on the west side of Glasgow. We woke up early the next morning as it was the only chance Nina would have to do any sightseeing. The conference, which brought up here, started in the mid afternoon.

After breakfast we walked into town along immense sheets of ice that spanned the whole city. It seems Glasgow doesn’t have the same bylaws Vancouver and parts of Germany have. This made our walk slow and treacherous as we both fell at different points in the day.

Like Amsterdam, Glasgow is compact as we were able to walk from the outskirts of downtown clear across to the other side of downtown in just over a half hour. We intended on taking a tour of the City Chambers (city hall) but as it was a public holiday, they weren’t open. So we kept walking and ended up at Glasgow’s cathedral. Like all cathedrals, it had its charms. I didn’t take any photos as I have easily been to cathedrals in 2 dozens European cities and they all look somewhat the same; columns, stained glass, vaulted ceilings and loads of Jesuses. Behind it sat an immense graveyard that climbed the side of a hill. The tombs and monuments within the graveyard some of the largest I have seen.

Across the road from the cathedral sat Provand’s Lordship; the oldest house in Glasgow. Dating from 1471 it was in immaculate condition and gave a sense of what life was like throughout the ages.

We headed back to the hotel which aptly sat a 20 minute walk from downtown and a 10 minute walk to the university where the geological conference was taking place. I walked Nina to the conference and then headed back to the hotel to get some work done. On my way back I found an old Synagogue. A few people were standing out front talking and I saw another come out the front door. Seeing as it was open, I decided to pop my head in. I was a little surprised to be faced with a large white wall with two grand staircases leading off to either side. I climbed one of them and was faced with another wall with a number of doors. I chose one, thinking it might lead into the main hall, and opened it. A smaller staircase led to the left, a closet sat to the right and a cat’s litter box lay in front. I was totally perplexed! This just didn’t seem right, so I closed the door and went back downstairs to the front door. There I noticed a dozen mail boxes, each with a different person’s name on it. I walked back outside and noticed an intercom system by the door. Back on the sidewalk I heard the people talking about how the buzzer on the door was broken and it was being left unlocked. Then I noticed the sign on the corner advertised newly renovated apartments for sale!

This church (although there was Hebrew over the door, it was in fact church) had been turned into trendy new condos. Had the tenant been standing on the other side of their door when I opened it, my time in Glasgow might have suddenly become far more memorable!

I went back to the hotel and did a few hours of work before heading back to the university to meet Nina at the wine reception. I purchased a guest pass for the conference that allowed me entry into all the social events. I had thought a geology conference would probably be male dominated but it seemed to be the other way around. Of the 150 participants, 60% were students and the female to male ratio seemed to be around 60/40.

I met some of Nina’s colleagues from Leicester as well as new friends she made at the conference. A large group of us decided to go for dinner and we took to the street in search of a poor restaurant prepared to take a group of 20 without a reservation or prior notice. We settled on an Indian restaurant.

I haven’t eaten at an Indian restaurant in over 10 years as all my previous experiences had been negative. Regardless how mild they advertised their dishes to be, they always seemed too spicy.
I found a lamb dish on the menu listed as very mild and came in a cream sauce, so I took a chance. I also ordered a plate of naan bread with raisins and had an extremely enjoyable dinner. I was shocked at how much I liked it and, as advertised, it really was very mild. Seeing as we now live in the Indian food capital of England, I am glad to have discovered I can enjoy it so early into our time here.

Tuesday was a day I had been eagerly anticipating. This was the first full day of the conference and Nina would be occupied for a good 10 hours. Within a 10 minute walk of the hotel sat 3 of the 11 museums Glasgow boasts. All 11 are free of charge and the collection incorporates over 1 million pieces.

I started at the Museum of Transportation which was a massive complex with a dozen real steam engines and trams, tens of dozens of old cars and trucks, a wing dedicated to bicycles and motorcycles and another wing committed to paying homage to Scotland’s infamous shipbuilding history. As the museum was on the verge of moving, and being closed for a year, I arrived just in time. But, unfortunately, the ship wing was closed and already being packaged up for the impending move and restoration.

My next stop was the museum I had been looking forward to the most; the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. This purpose-built museum opened in 1901 and was architecturally as impressive as the collection being housed within it. Spanning two floors and four wings, everything from French, Italian, Scottish and Dutch art to natural science and history was displayed including a full-sized Spitfire suspended from the ceiling.

In the central concourse between the wings sat a church organ as grand as any I had seen in the many cathedrals I had visited. A gentleman was playing it adding some ambience to the experience.

I find it can be a little overwhelming to be in such a place as I don’t know where to look. The art on the walls is supposed to dominate your attention but I find myself staring at the detailed ceilings and marble. In some ways, sombre galleries, like Vancouver’s are better because your full attention is placed on the art as the building is plain and uninteresting.

I sat at the café in the open concourse gazing at the vaulted ceilings impressed with a city that would put so much money and resources into a museum that is open to all residents free of charge.

Behind the Kelvingrove Museums sat Kelvingrove park, which our hotel also sat beside. The University of Glasgow was perched on the opposite side of the park looking down over the city. One of the most prominent features of the university is a grand building with a vast clock tower visible from most corners of the city. It was in a wing of this building that the Hungerton Museum was housed.

I was surprised to learn most of it was closed or reasons unknown. In fact, only one wing was currently on display. However, as it was my third museum of the day, I wasn’t too upset about it and my feet were starting to get tired from the concrete and marble floors I had been walking on all day.

On my way out I walked through one of the inner courtyards and caught the sun illuminating the tower. I investigated the building until I found my way around to the side that looked down on the city. The mid-afternoon sun was low in the sky and shone off the layer of snow on the ground.

I had never been so happy to see snow as I was that day. The previous day had been fairly unpleasant with the thick sheets of ice on all sidewalks and walkways. The snow was a welcome addition as it was far easier to walk on and less frightening. I had taken a pretty bad fall the previous day; the kind where my legs shot out from under me and I came crashing down on my back. I was now a little sore and unsure how a city of 600,000 people could have run out of grit to lay down on the sidewalks.

I walked back through the park and took the opportunity to get some great shots of the setting sun and the residential neighbourhoods around this side of Glasgow.

Back at the hotel I got in a few more hours of work and readied myself for the banquet. Nina came back to get changed and we walked over to the university for the evening’s activities. As we arrived a tad late, there were only single seats available at the all tables. There was one single table at the back of the room completely empty which we chose to sit at. It ended up being the best thing we could have done!

A few more late arrivers sat with us including an Australian geologist with a typical dry sense of humour and three gentlemen who were like a walking comedy troupe. One of the three was an engineer with a manufacturing firm that makes geological equipment and was sponsoring the event. The other two worked at a university and were clients of the first gentleman’s firm.

The quips, insults and jokes were flying around the table all night and we were clearly having more fun than the other tables around us. One of the gentlemen was a Scot which came in useful when we were trying to understand what we were eating. The dinner was OK, but I now understand why Scottish food is not known as one of the great cuisines of the world.

Nina was tired and went back to the hotel after supper. I stayed on for the Scotch whiskey tasting. I have never had a taste for whiskey, but I was open to a bit of an educational experience. Like me, the majority of the students were not Scotch drinkers, but like all students, they weren’t about to turn down the chance for free alcohol.

We tasted 12 yr old Auchentoshan (Lowland), 15 yr old Dalwhinnie (Highland), 10 yr old Talisker (Island), 12 yr old Balvenie Doublewood (Speyside) and 10 yr old Laphroaig (Islay). Of the five, the Balvenie was the one I was closest to liking and the Laphroaig was the one I had the hardest time choking down. As my new wise-ass Australian friend put it, the Laphroaig tasted like it was run through a series of old ashtrays to get its distinct flavour.

Feeling a bit wobbly and tired, I left shortly after the Ceilidh started. I wanted to get a good sleep (which had been a bit challenging the previous nights on the small, hard bed) as I had a full day or sightseeing planned for the following day.

As one might expect, I awoke the next day feeling less than 100%. I spent the morning lounging around the hotel room and finally decided to venture out. I wandered down to the River Clyde and followed it into town.

I headed for the city hall to register myself on the free City chambers tour. As I was a good hour early, I retired to the pub across the road for a spot of lunch. I took the chance to read a Scottish newspaper and was not too surprised to see a headline stating that the metre maids were threatening a strike due to the sheets of ice. Apparently half a dozen of them were already in hospital having taken bad falls.

The tour of the council was incredible. The building was built in 1900 and had no expense spared. The ornate marbles, woods and tiles spanned the majority of the public areas including the two grand staircases. The council chambers were nothing short of breathtaking and the whole lot of us (which included 5 Canadians) were feverishly clicking away with our cameras as most city halls do not look like their rooms were lifted from a castle somewhere.

I walked around downtown some more before heading back to the hotel. As the conference ended I met up with Nina and a few of the other attendees for a final supper together. It was our hope to leave the following morning, however the immense snow had shut down many of the airports in Scotland and England and a great number of train lines were simply not running.
Luckily our route was OK and, even more surprising, was on time! We arrived at the train station extra early, just in case, and had breakfast in one of the restaurants while waiting for our train. As we had a reservation, we didn’t have any worries and arrived onboard a few minutes prior to departure.

As we stepped into our coach we were immediately aware that, strangely, it was actually colder on the inside than the outside. The fan was blowing an artic breeze into the car making it uninhabitable. Unfortunately, this was also the buffet car and the attendant felt the same way.

As the heater was broken there were no hot beverages available and we had to find seating in another coach, which didn’t end up being a problem as the train wasn’t full.

We left Glasgow and started to descend through the gorgeous snow-covered countryside of lower Scotland. After a half hour the train stopped and sat on the tracks for some time. The train ahead of us had broken down and they were trying to repair the issue. Once it became apparent that wasn’t going to work, we latched on and pushed it along. The train in front was destined for London and we were heading to Birmingham. For reasons well beyond our comprehension, both trains (the broken one and our fully-functioning one) terminated in Crewe as it was a central hub with connections for both destinations. Now let me reiterate, our train wasn’t broken! And, there were spur rails at this station so we could have pushed the broken one out of the way and continued on.

Our two-train journey to Glasgow took 5 ½ hours and our return journey home turned into a three-train 8 hour trip. The distance, from Glasgow to Leicester via Birmingham, is equivalent to Lion’s Bay (just north of Vancouver) to Portland Oregon and it took us the same amount of time as it would to fly from Vancouver to London!

In the number of weeks we have been back home we have not been doing too much. I had some deadlines coming up and then took on some more projects which have dominated my time.

I just finished writing the book to accompany my workshop and have sent it to Colin (my program head) to edit it. Having worked as a journalist and editor for the majority of his adult life, he is well qualified for the job. As a side note, he also spent a stint working as a writer for Splitting Image. When he is finished I will send it off to get printed. With that large job out of the way, I now have the month of February to create the PowerPoint presentation.

Wayne gave me some work which I just finished today as I had promised him I would have it done before the end of the month. One of his clients wrote his own operations manual as he didn’t want to incur the expense of having us write it. I have had the daunting job of editing 32 individual files that accumulate to around 110 pages. Seeing as they are all single files opposed to one large document, editing for consistency has been a real effort. On top of that, the client has his own template he is going to place everything into so he didn’t want me to deal with the formatting. The fonts were not the same from document to document making it a real mess. But… work is work, especially when you are self employed!

The UK government really wants small businesses to succeed. I know that sounds completely obvious as most governments want the same thing. However, the UK government actually takes measures to make it happen. I have heard it is very difficult running a small business in Canada with all the legislation and costs.

Here, no business license is required if you are home-based with a revenue under a certain amount. And, no VAT needs to be charged as long as you bill out less than £65k annually. To become self employed I simply called up HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs), answered a few questions and filled out a few forms.

Once that is complete you are entitled to a tremendous amount of free services which includes government-run workshops, advice sessions from small-business consultants and a one-year membership with the local chamber of commerce. I took advantage of one of the half-day workshops. It explained which expenses you can and cannot claim and how to keep appropriate records and files. It was a wealth of information and helped me greatly. When I got home I arranged my receipts (which I had been collecting) and created the necessary schedules and paperwork for the previous 5 months. Now, it’s easy to maintain as it’s all organized.

Next week I will have a one-hour session with a consultant where I can discuss the issues specific to my company or anything else I am facing that I am unsure how to deal with. They can also recommend other relevant seminars and workshops for me to attend, also free of charge.
This week my new classes started up. I am taking a second-level professional writing class with Colin; my instructor and program head from last semester and the person who initially got me involved in writing my workshop. My second class is another technology class called Client-Side Web Development which will also build on what I learned last semester.

So if you have been wondering why I have been remiss in posting my blog, it’s due to the fact I have been very busy with work. But being a new small business, that is a problem most dream of so I am not complaining.