Glasgow

I’m obsessed with the mosses growing all over everything in Glasgow! I imagine they are most obvious right now because of the cold and moisture of winter but they can found on practically all fixed objects with a vaguely flat surface where moisture can collect and add a huge amount of cheer to the grey-brown winter landscape…

I’m looking forward to learning about the many different species- there are over 900 species of bryophytes (a group that includes not only mosses, but also liverworts and hornworts which are commonly confused with mosses) here in Scotland and, although I come from a relatively lush part of Australia, I’m a complete novice when it comes to bryophyte ID. So I have my work cut out for me.

In the meantime, I’m just enjoying these as-yet-unnamed beauties in all their forms…

Dots

Mossy dots

Bulges

Wall

Mossy walls

Steps

Tree roots

Pompom trees

Moss pompoms

Twig

Mossy balaclava

Branch

Knot

Moss on cherry bark

And, just because it’s so lovely, I’m adding this lichen into the mix. Not sure I’ll be taking on a study in Scottish lichens though- that’s another 1500 species!

Lichen on birch tree

Happy weekend!

Hello from Glasgow! We’ve only been here for two weeks but the craziness of January, what with packing up our house and lives in Melbourne and saying goodbye to so many loved ones, already seems like months ago- I think we are still recovering! We came with work leads but no real plans or commitments and so have been able to take the time to settle in gently. We’ve been spending most of our time wandering the streets and doing a bit of sightseeing too, so the city (or parts of it) is starting to feel like home…

Looking over at Park Circus, the swanky part of town!

University of Glasgow

Wonderful windows at the University of Glasgow

Stained glass

Although we’ve tried to just take it easy, we’re also very keen to start putting down roots and so have been looking at loads of tenement flats and have our fingers crossed that we’ll be accepted for one in particular- so, so lovely! Scotto is in discussions with several acupuncture clinics and I’ve already got some work teaching knitting (more on that tomorrow) and am exploring how to run workshops in natural dyeing too. I’ve also been in contact with coordinators at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens to see how I can get involved there. So there are good plans in the works! Now I’m just looking forward to making some friends here and building a community and routine for myself- after being so busy recently, it’s so strange to have so little in place!

Greenhouse and cold frames, Glasgow Botanic Gardens

Greenhouse and cold frames for starting seedlings in the cold climate, Glasgow Botanic Gardens

Tender plants under glass

Children’s gardens

The River Kelvin

This part of the Kelvin was frozen over when we arrived and much of the vegetation was beautiful shades of brown and grey but, over the past week, the ice has disappeared, birds are more active and there are bulbs and buds appearing everywhere. To me, it feels like spring is around the corner. Or perhaps not? We don’t know the weather patterns yet!