The Nolly Wanderer and the Nolly Explorer - the newest members of the Nolly Barge 'fleet' at Firhill Basin in Glasgow [ just behind PARTICK THISTLE FOOTBALL STADIUM]. The boats were there for the World Youth COngress Delegates to view, and the Wanderer was used to transport the teams to the area where we were creating some environmental art.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
World Youth Congress - Glasgow participants
Three of the World Youth Congress delegates at the end of the three days of activities - tired but happy.
World Youth Congress - Glasgow cycling
The final day started with the cycling challenge where the teams had to collect the items needed to mend a punture,mend the punture and then ride the bike to the finish. This was only the first challenge of the day.
World Youth Congress - Glasgow 'art'
One of the younger participants after an afternoon of 'environmental art'
She said she had a wonderful time using mud and plants to create something different and 'ephemeral'
She said she had a wonderful time using mud and plants to create something different and 'ephemeral'
World Youth Congress - Glasgow Kayaking
As promised some photos of the days with some of the delegates from the World Youth COngress which was held in Stirling, Scotland, althought the delegates were 'spread out' around several different projects throughout Scotland [ within travelling distance of Stirling!].
This was the final challenge day which included a kayak slalom for the teams.
This was the final challenge day which included a kayak slalom for the teams.
Laura - an update
A good friend now departed and sadly missed. I've written a little poem about her.
You made us laugh , until we cried
Your life was full, you always tried
to make life fun, for all around
and when you got angry, you'd not back down
At disco and sports you did excel, even just kayaking on the canal
Where you found all the energy,I never could tell
Your skills with peoplewon you friends near and far
but you could be frightening, when you were driving your car!
You always said what you thought SHOULD be said
You were an unsung hero, you come alive when this is read.
Life thoughts from the last two weeks.
I have been a little bit depressed over these past couple of weeks, mainly because a good friend and former workmate, died recently aged 31. I first met Laura when we were both working at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Scotland in the mid 1990's. Laura was one of the sessional leisure assistants and always full of mischief, giggles and laughter. She was very popular with everybody, and an excellent sailor and kayaking instructor. She met her husband there too [ whom I also worked with] and they got married in 1995.
She left CMRP for 'pastures new' on the job front, and the next time we worked together was in December 2000 when she asked if I could come and help her out at the Forth and Clyde Canal Community Project for a few weeks! [It was supposed to be six weeks and I was there until April when it amalgamated with the Nolly Barge Project - also based on the Forth and Clyde Canal.] Laura was alway keen on sports and represented the United Kingdom at Atlanta in wheelchair basketball at the special Olympics. She never let the fact that she had to use a wheelchair ever hold her back - and often did a lot more than the average 'able-bodied' person.
Laura was a lovely person and generated respect, from all those who knew her, for her honesty, her passion and her sense of fun and for 'living the moment'. She will be greatly missed, especially by her friends and family.
I had been planning to go away for the last couple of weekends but an unexpected and rather large repair bill for my car meant that I indulged in a little bit of 'green tourism' and stayed at home - enjoying some peace and quiet and wonderful weather in my garden!! I also tackled a couple of small jobs in my house which I had kept putting off - painting a fireplace surround, and going through a couple of boxes of my late husbands papers and things [which was the second reason that I was a bit depressed - it has been just over a year since he died of Cancer and I still think of him and miss him, every single day.] I did enjoy just being able to sit back and feel the sunshine warming my body, listening to the birdsong [Robins have started singing again to mark out thier winter territories and the local Mistle Thrush is trying to keep the nearby Yew tree and Hawthorn berries for itself and is chasing any other birds away] and feeling warm breezes on my skin. I was reading an article which asked 'do you recognise when you are happy' and it said that sometimes just savouring the smaller pleasures in your life can raise your general feeling of happiness - so I have been trying to do that over the last couple of weeks too, - I think I would have been really down if I hadn't done that.
She left CMRP for 'pastures new' on the job front, and the next time we worked together was in December 2000 when she asked if I could come and help her out at the Forth and Clyde Canal Community Project for a few weeks! [It was supposed to be six weeks and I was there until April when it amalgamated with the Nolly Barge Project - also based on the Forth and Clyde Canal.] Laura was alway keen on sports and represented the United Kingdom at Atlanta in wheelchair basketball at the special Olympics. She never let the fact that she had to use a wheelchair ever hold her back - and often did a lot more than the average 'able-bodied' person.
Laura was a lovely person and generated respect, from all those who knew her, for her honesty, her passion and her sense of fun and for 'living the moment'. She will be greatly missed, especially by her friends and family.
I had been planning to go away for the last couple of weekends but an unexpected and rather large repair bill for my car meant that I indulged in a little bit of 'green tourism' and stayed at home - enjoying some peace and quiet and wonderful weather in my garden!! I also tackled a couple of small jobs in my house which I had kept putting off - painting a fireplace surround, and going through a couple of boxes of my late husbands papers and things [which was the second reason that I was a bit depressed - it has been just over a year since he died of Cancer and I still think of him and miss him, every single day.] I did enjoy just being able to sit back and feel the sunshine warming my body, listening to the birdsong [Robins have started singing again to mark out thier winter territories and the local Mistle Thrush is trying to keep the nearby Yew tree and Hawthorn berries for itself and is chasing any other birds away] and feeling warm breezes on my skin. I was reading an article which asked 'do you recognise when you are happy' and it said that sometimes just savouring the smaller pleasures in your life can raise your general feeling of happiness - so I have been trying to do that over the last couple of weeks too, - I think I would have been really down if I hadn't done that.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
stratus clouds_2000
These remind me of birds streaking out across the sky, and of lying on my back in the garden just enjoying the moments while I watch them fly by and feel the warmth of the sun on my body.
storm clouds
A summer thunderstorm over Ayrshire in August 2000
I just felt this was a very dramatic sky
I just felt this was a very dramatic sky
Mute Swan
This Mute Swan is one of the residents of the Forth and Clyde Canal, Glasgow Branch at Ruchill. This was taken at around ten o'clock in the morning, when the birds came paddling up to see if I was going to throw them any tidbits!
Mute Swan reflections
This Mute Swan is one of the residents of the Forth and Clyde Canal, Glasgow Branch at Ruchill. the darkness of the canal water from the buildings opposite gave a good reflection.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Thoughts for today
I have been quite busy over the past few weeks at work, and usually felt so tired when I got home that I was lucky if I could be bothered to make myself a meal. I have a borderline underactive thyroid, [after having a cancerous half removed - benign thank God] and loss of appetite, and lethargy are just a couple of the many symptoms which are attributed to this. I have got some new photos for my site which I hope to upload soon.
Last week I was working with some delegates from the World's Youth Congress, which is being held here in Scotland this year, and they were all really nice people. I think a few of them have now picked up the Glesca accent after working with some of the kids of north Glasgow. They all seemed to be surprised by the knowledge that the children [aged 8 - 16] had about other parts of the world and about religions other than their own, and especially the fact that the children [10 year olds] actually came up and were asking THEM about their views of the world situation. However all this was during the activities of Kayaking, cycling and environmental art which everyone was participating in.
I shall upload some relevant photos soon
Last week I was working with some delegates from the World's Youth Congress, which is being held here in Scotland this year, and they were all really nice people. I think a few of them have now picked up the Glesca accent after working with some of the kids of north Glasgow. They all seemed to be surprised by the knowledge that the children [aged 8 - 16] had about other parts of the world and about religions other than their own, and especially the fact that the children [10 year olds] actually came up and were asking THEM about their views of the world situation. However all this was during the activities of Kayaking, cycling and environmental art which everyone was participating in.
I shall upload some relevant photos soon
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