The Late Winter Forest

We're just into February and the forest is deep in the slumber of winter, or is it?

As I take my weekly walk, I can see little buds on the branches. These will be the new leaves of the spring, very slowly building their strength. There are little surprises too as snowdrops and what looks like out of season harebells blossom among the bare dark trees.

I've no idea what these magenta berries are but they stand out glowing against the winter forest.

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Just Missed the Sunshine

I decided to take a short camping trip in Glentrool last week. It seemed like a good idea at the time as we'd had several weeks of unseasonally warm weather. Inevitably, the rain started in earnest as soon as I pitched my tent. However, that didn't spoil the fun as rain and the Scottish landscape can set each other off beautifully. I took a lot of images of rivers in full spate and probably have some of my best turbulent water shots from that trip.

More Sekoya

I previously blogged about my son's band Sekoya. On Tuesday this week, they launched their new album Shuna ( you can hear it and get it here ). This time they were in the Rum Shack in the southside of Glasgow, a great wee venue, and they were promoted by Lay Low , the first time they've used a promoter. A nice sized crowd came along and completely filled the venue and we were treated to some great music and a nice line in commentary and chat from the band. They also specialise in a unique merch table which has no music on it but it does feature tea, calligraphy and paper plates. They're an arty band.

Worldcon

This is the last day of the 2024 Worldcon, a gathering of science fiction fans from all around the world which happens to be meeting in Glasgow this year. I've been to a few cons over the years and this one has a special buzz about it. I suppose when people travel thousands of miles to be there they self-select for enthusiasm and there was bucket loads of it in Glasgow this weekend. I started the day with a couple of readings by Ken McLeod. These were delivered in Ken's trademark relaxed and friendly style, a nice gentle start to a Sunday morning. Later, I caught up with my Shoreline of Infinity colleagues at their stall which was doing a roaring trade and I was able to support Noel Chidwick and Pippa Goldschmidt who were launching a new project called SF Caledonia. This is an online showcase of all SF things Scottish and the presentation featured a recorded reading (as John Buchan) by actor Jonathan Whiteside and a live reading from Callum McSorley, 2023 McIlvanney Prize winn...

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