connecting communities

Last weekend, my friend Jo and three of our offspring went to the opening of the new Stockingfield Bridge on the Forth & Clyde Canal. This suspension bridge connects three local communities, Ruchhill, Gilshochill and Maryhill. You can see on the photos I pinched from Scottish Canals that it was not possible to cross from one canal path to the other at this crossing point and that it was not easy to go from one neighbourhood to the next. Before the bridge, it was necessary to leave the paths, cross roads, use a dark and narrow road tunnel and climb back up again. Much safer now and no stairs to navigate while carrying a bike.

Photo credit - Scottish Canals

Photo credit - Scottish Canals

The opening was in the evening, starting at dusk. I had wondered earlier why so many paddle boarders were getting ready to go on the canal but didn't connect the opening event with it. We joined a large group of people carrying lanterns and torches and fairy light chains. The paddle boarders and canoeists were also lit up with lots of lights, a floating lantern parade (the photo above only shows a small fraction of the flotilla).

As it was dark, I didn't quite appreciate the vast structure of the bridge but it was amazing to see it and viewing platform all lit up with all colours of the rainbow. I wondered if these lights are a normal feature in the dark night of winter, or if they were installed for the opening ceremony. I'll have to cycle out there in the dark one of these days to find out. There is also a large long mound with swirling spiral lights. Again, I am not sure what this was in the dark but it looked like an artificial structure, made maybe with some of the material dug up for foundations. This is going to be covered in mosaics made in the communities over the next few months. It will look fabulous. If I find time, I will definitely go to one of the events making mosaics for it. 

It is so good that there has been major works in the city to connect communities and to make the city a more connected place. There is another project down by the Clyde, where a pedestrian bridge is being constructed to connect the local communities on each side of the river. This will be fabulous because just now, crossing is easiest by car and going from one neighbourhood to another can involve quite some travel even though there is just a river between them. 

Glasgow is such a vibrant place and these major works are a fantastic way to bring people together. 

In other news, I have managed to run two three day practical microscopy labs for my class of  >100 students. It went well, I had an amazing team of research team leaders and PhD students who helped me with this. The worst was the cold. The teaching lab is in an old building, has very high ceilings and a heating system for a room a tenth of the size. When not in the lab, I had to assess students from two other courses for their oral presentations. Most were really excellent, a few not so much. Many hours of listening and taking notes but we are done now. Just a dissertation presentation left to do, then write a pile of feedback and then - finally - it is time to sign off for Christmas. I can't wait. This term has been so tiring, not helped by an ageing body fighting off colds and ear infections for the past 4 weeks. 

Today I am charging up my two brand new solar fairy light chains. They have a rechargeable battery backup because it is dark here in winter. Once charged, they will brighten up the apple and pear tree in our front garden. Not much else planned other than a bit of knitting and tidying. Richard and I are looking forward to a cello concerto this evening in the Royal Concert Hall. It is our wedding anniversary tomorrow and we wanted to mark this with something special. All good here!

Thanks for visiting 😊