Glasgow's Miles Better

Back in 1983 Glasgow had a wonderful slogan with a smiley face.  It was developed by Scottish advertising agency, Struthers Advertising, and featured the phrase "Glasgow's Miles Better" wrapped around the cartoon figure of Mr. Happy.  It is regarded as one of the earliest and most successful attempts to rebrand a city in the world and received a number of domestic and international awards.  In fact I would venture to suggest that no city in Britain has ever produced such a successful and memorable a campaign slogan.

If it hadn't been for the fact that I actually was listening to the radio the moment of transmission I might have thought the following snippet was apocryphal but it's not.  It happened.  When Glasgow was looking for a replacement slogan Edinburgh was also looking for a slogan.  Sue MacGregor the co-presenter of the programme Today on Radio 4 suggested off the cuff that Edinburg could adopt 'Edinburgh's Quite Nice'.  I'm sorry that those of you who don't know an Edinburgh accent or understand the gentility attributed to Edinburgh may feel a bit non-plussed.  But believe me that was greeted with a very wide variety of comments here in Scotland. 

Anyway all this arose because I wanted to show you a photo that I took in Glasgow the day after I'd arrived back in Scotland:

Thankful Thursday Back in Eagleton

For those of you who also follow A Hebridean in New Zealand this post might be a real case of déjà vu because I've also posted this on that blog.

I cannot believe that it's now 9 sleeps (and within an hour I'll be starting my tenth) since I arrived back in Scotland.  I had a few days near Glasgow before I came up to Lewis last Sunday and since I got back it's been absolutely non-stop from dawn (sunrise is just after 5am!) until bedtime.  I thought that I was going to have a quiet catch-up week but heck no.  I think, too, that I've spent far more time explaining why I've not done any posts than I would have spent had I actually done some.  So I shall try to do better from here on in.  I shall be over here for the next 6 months or so with the occasional post on my other blog as and when something takes my fancy.

I'm hoping that I will have lots of posts with interesting photos over the period because I've got lots of places to go and things to do over the summer.

In the meantime the views at around 5am on Monday morning - the first spent back on the Island -  were all that a soul could desire:

So today I am thankful to be back safe and sound in my 'other' home after my little travel scare and thankful for my dear friends who have looked after my home here whilst I have been away.  What would I do without you Pat and Dave?

Snow in France

For once the Outer Hebrides seems to be getting marginally better weather - or perhaps I should say marginally warmer weather - that the rest of the UK and certainly than a great deal of Northern Europe.  So when I received these photos from a friend, Viv, who live in the Lot-et-Garonne I tried to match them with photos from similar spots taken during the early autumn this year.  I didn't have any direct comparisons but these provide some idea of the change a few months can make.  Thanks Viv.

I have no comparison for the road to the house but it's such a beautiful photo I couldn't leave it out!

Look What I'm Missing

An email was waiting for me this morning from Spesh1 aka Pat telling me about the snow and forwarding some photos that Dave had taken on his mobile phone:

From the back of Pat and Dave's house

Briagha in The Lews Castle Grounds

A footpath in the Castle Grounds - so why the tyre tracks?