Some questions burn a hole in your day, they just have to be answered. Do they have garden gnomes in Scotland? Inquiring minds need to know. I went looking for garden gnomes in Scotland, and I finally found them!
I toured the streets of Glasgow, and the word that came to mind was “austere”. The buildings were mostly two story homes, with patches of grass and a paved drive each. I found no flower gardens, no flower boxes, no flowers. Nor did I see any place to buy food, or shop. Obviously Glasgow is a city that would demand a broadening of my world view.
Then I headed over to Edinburgh. Not quite so austere, much more greenery; shrubs and short trees mostly. The neighbourhoods I found felt warm and seemed charming. Again, no flower gardens or boxes, and no obvious places to purchase food, or shop.
Then I headed over to Inverness, and I found flower gardens, and flower boxes aplenty. Again, mostly two storey homes, and no obvious places to buy food, or shop.
At last I reached Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay; and there I found my garden gnomes. They were nestled into a small, well kept yard, by a two storey house. I even found a small shop, a food co-operative, down by the waterfront. This is a village I can relate to!
 |
I know there are glaring omissions on Google Earth, things we are not meant to see. There is quite a lot included though. I like to sit of an evening and wander about, projecting my fantasies of balanced communities onto the places I visit. And maybe, just maybe, somewhere I have visited is an actual healthy, balanced community, a place that I would love to call home. If I can imagine it, it could happen.
And the weather! There is quite a bit of snow to the south of us in the USA, but here it is sunny, and relatively mild. Of course, the snow we received since December is still out there in a seemingly endless expanse of white. Still, when the sun shines one can believe in spring.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
-6°C
Date: 10:00 AM EST Friday 14 February 2014
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 99.8 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: -6.2°C
Dewpoint: -12.9°C
Humidity: 59%
Wind: WNW 9 km/h
Wind Chill: -10
Quote
“We are able to laugh when we achieve detachment, if only for a moment.”
May Sarton
1912-1995
