The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that style, there is now this regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site including "Scottie's Photo Diary From Scotland".
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Christmas Lights in Glasgow, 2012 - Slide Show
Once again I've been out with my camera taking pictures of the lights and decorations and Christmas entertainment in central Glasgow. A selection of 30 of the graphics have been turned into a Web-based slide show with an index page of thumbnails, linked to larger versions on separate pages. Once you are in the larger versions, you can use the navigation links to move to the next picture without having to return to the index. See Christmas Lights in Glasgow, 2012.
Christmas Lights in Glasgow 2012 - YouTube Video
This year I also took some video clips of a number of the Christmas decorations and fun in central Glasgow including George Square, Ice Skating, Kiddies' Train, Merry-go-rounds, Gallery of Modern Art and Ceiling of Light. See Christmas Lights in Glasgow 2012 - YouTube Video
Christmas Lights in Edinburgh 2012
Of course, I'm planning to create a similar series of pages on the central Edinburgh festive scene. I'm scheduled to go to Scotland's capital for a Christmas lunch next Friday. So if I don't eat too much Christmas pudding and maybe even turn down a Drambuie liqueur (or two) I should manage to wander around central Edinburgh, cameras at the ready. The results should be in the next Newsletter.
Hunterian Museum, Art Gallery and Mackintosh House
It's a while since I've been to the Hunterian Museum located within the imposing main University of Glasgow building. Dr William Hunter (1718-1783) bequeathed his collection of books, manuscripts, coins, anatomical and geological specimens to Glasgow University. When it opened in 1807, the Hunterian was Scotland's first public museum and it has expanded over the years and been modernised several times. The most recent refurbishment has created a modern 21st century facility covering a wide range of subjects including Romans in Scotland, coins, natural history, dinosaurs, crystals and stones and Lord Kelvin (who entered Glasgow University at the age of 10) and Science.. The Places to Visit page on the Hunterian has been totally revamped to provide a flavour of what is now to be seen there - and in the adjacent art gallery and a replica of the house once occupied by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. See: Places to Visit - Hunterian Museum.
Private House Stays
Links and wite-ups on Web pages for all kinds of accommodation available in Scotland are added to the Rampant Scotland site on a regular basis but 9b Scotland Street in Edinburgh is somewhat out of the ordinary. In addition to being a fine example of a bed and breakfast establishment that aims to give guests the sort of things you would expect to find in a normal home, the husband and wife owners developed their own on-line booking system. This was so successful they started to offer it to other owners of high quality accommodation collected under the banner of "Private House Stays". The site now covers hundreds of properties across Scotland, allowing owners to concentrate on looking after their residents rather than dealing with the administration of booking enquiries and reservations. See: 9b Scotland Street and Private House Stays
Scottish Place Names Around the World - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks to feedback and further research, Ian Kendall has been busy updating the pages in his series on Scottish place names found in towns and cities around the world. The latest revision is for Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Of the names of the 134 communities and neighbourhoods that have been identified to date in Greater Victoria, 29 (21.6%) can be found as place names in Scotland or are based on Scottish family names or Scottish words. Of course, some of these names are used in other parts of the British Isles as well, but at least 15 of them (11.2%) appear to have a unique connection with Scotland, whether directly or indirectly. See Scottish Place Names Around the World - Victoria, BC., Canada.
Next Newsletter
The next newsletter is scheduled for after the Festive season, on 5 January. By that time I should have the slide shows and YouTube video presentations on Edinburgh's Christmas decorations added to the Rampant Scotland site.
And a Merry Christmas and a Good New Year to you and yours - and many may you see!
Yours aye
Scottie
Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in an Archive. The Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here.
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