As free as the wind blows - Blustery by the Clyde.

James and I went on our first adventure of the year a few weeks ago. With foggy brains lingering from the holidays and uni application stress we decided to go to Port Glasgow. When we passed it on our journey to Wemyss Bay it seemed like a lovely wee place (it was particularly sunny that day) and on the way back from Wemyss Bay we realised it probably had a ton more stuff to do that Wemyss Bay did. It seemed like a logical choice.

The weather this time was up and down. Dodgy looking clouds haunted us all morning but it started to get nicer while we were on the train. This nice looking weather made us slightly arrogant and upon stepping out of the train station tunnel, the both of us were just about knocked right over by the violent wind. A quick button up and bracing of ourselves later we started to have a wander down what seemed to be the main street. They had a tattoo shop! but it was shut. most places were shut. but it was a tad early, and i think it was a holiday monday maybe... James said we werent going to get matching Port Glasgow tats. this made me sad.

We kept walking down towards the water and stood and looked out to the Clyde for a bit with our coffees. There was a wee lighthouse and a double rainbow and James got very excited by this double rainbow and proceeded to reenact the joyous double rainbow youtube video...

"DOUBLE RAIIIIIIIIIIIINBOOOOOOOOOOOOOW" I think in this picture he is in the throws of the "-BOOOOOOOOW" part...

By this point it pretty windy and rather wet. but we crack on. I had read there is a castle in Port Glasgow and i was adamant we were visiting it, but i hadn't done much research (we're not supposed to research the adventures it kind of ruins the organic-ness of the exploring...) so i didnt know which direction it was in. I took a guess and we followed the water outwards towards the sea.

Walking along the nice path, the sky got darker, the wind got stronger and the cars got YELLOWER. I don't want to say that meeting me has changed James' life (haha) but ive definitely introduced him to a few choice nuggets... unfortunately for me one of those nuggets is the game of yellow car. We dabbled in Doubles (where you hit the other person for a car with double numbers or letters side by side on the number plate) and James recently tried to encourage a points based game depending on what colour the car you see is but that got too complex. The only one that has stood strong in yellow car and it has done so because i am quite good at it, but NOT THIS DAY. If it wasnt bad enough being battered by the wind rain and HORIZONTAL HAIL IN THE FACE i also had a ninja-like James constantly "BOOM YELLOW CAR"-ing me. He was good. He was spotting them from miles away. i ran out of points to give him. he was definitely champion of the day.

(but i had a big hood on and i had bad peripheral vision so my game playing was impaired... just want to make that clear...)

Anyway, yellow cars aside, it was getting rather miserable. We had reached a new looking housing estate by the water and i was feeling rather rotten about not finding this castle. i did NOT want to give up. But we did. we turned around and went into the MASSIVE TESCO EXTRA across the road. I loooooooooove shopping in food shop bits. especially tescos cos they have loads of cheap nasty pink glittery guff for kids parties. we wandered for a bit and looked at cheap plastic pretties and James made use of the tesco wifi (!!!) to find out if we were anywhere near this DAMN castle. While in there and waiting about we heard a number of announcements echo round the tesco barn - "Could customers please ensure they return their trolleys to the designated area due to adverse weather conditions." Seriously it was mental. basically they were

saying IF YOU LEAVE YOUR TROLLEY LYING AROUND IT WILL BOSH INTO SOMEONES CAR OR KNOW SOMEONE OVER OR KILLLLLLLLLL. The hail was stingy enough, imagine being whacked in the face with a tesco EXTRA trolley (they are bigger than normal trolleys... extra. yeah.)

We worked out that the castle was actually in the completely OPPOSITE direction... just past the last shipyard (which i thought was a bit of a rubbish description...) but James was certain so we went for it. The sky had cleared a little so we started our walk back.

On the way BACK along the road we saw a couple of things. Firstly ^^^ THIS BOAT SCULPTURE. its called endeavor and you can get inside. its kinda cool. James' enthusiasm was overflowing. He'll probably tell you its just cos the sun was in his eyes...

THEN WE SAW THIS BUILDING. I am captivated by this building. i don't what it is. is it flats? offices? studios? you can see through to windows on the OTHER SIDE and the rooms seem massive. What is that little box on the top? on the other side you can see colours on the wall that suggest it used to be a factory (obvs i suppose) and they have renovated it. Oh i just googled it. its flats NICE FLATS and it used to be the Gourock Rope Works company. FACTOIDS. no answer on that nobby room on the top though...

Then we found the castle. i was getting annoyed again cos i thought we werent going to find it but it was hidden right in behind a shipyard (the last shipyard i assume...) just before the duel carriageway starts. It was TEENY! it was also closed, and under renovations :( we had a wander round anyway and a nosy in some windows but we didnt want to get into trouble... as we were pottering off the wether started attacking us again and we didnt have anywhere for shelter so James suggested a Lidl just up the road. When we got there he got rather excited about the instore bakery and we realised we were starving. I got a big bag of babybels (of course) and some strawberry mallow sweets and a can of redbull (nutritious...) and James got some FRESHLY BAKED GOODS. yummers and we decided to call it a day.

walking back to the train i noticed THIS TREE:

This is not doctored... the tree is growing at that angle. it must be a windy windy place to live.

James also spotted something in the distance... "JENNIFER. DO NOT LOOK. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE GROUND I'VE GOT A SURPRISE." so i kept my head down and only peeked when crossing the road... a few minutes later we were standing outside a wee shop called ALTER-KNIT!!!! PUNTASTIC!!!

we went in and there was a wee old lady behind the counter looking perplexed at our presence in her wee haven from the weather. I got some glittery wools. one was called "twilight" and had a rip off logo from the movie... it was black and glittery... like a vampires soul. hahaha. It was a rad wee shop.

Then it was home time...

 HOORAY BAKED GOODS!

A curious set of little question marks on the beach, view from the train.

who knows where the wind will blow us next... STAY TUNED 

lol.

Liberality and Greed

A few days of a killer sore back are sort of over. There is still a wee essay to write (about a bunch of stuff i don't understand...) but I think i deserve a rest from the screen so I'm off to use a GLORIOUS ACTUAL REAL LIFE PAINBRUSH!!!!!!!!!!1

i think if you click on the picture it will make them bigger if you want to scrutinise my mousemanship...

a day of photoshop madness.

 the many faces of an incompetent butthead with photoshop deadlines due........

... but in the end it was all worth it. isn't she BEAUTIFUL?!!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!???!?!?!!

happy place - pt4, mud butt.

 after a bit of a lazy but ridiculously fun day in the snow the day before i felt it was time to get off my butt and climb a hill. this hill is right behind the house i was staying in and its one i've climbed countless times before, even if those times were when i was around 13 (and the last time we went up we got pretty lost... :S) the reasons why i wanted to climb this hill will hopefully become clear...

 these myspace angles were shot to celebrate the fact that i didn't give up after i lost the path and slid half way down the VERY MUDDY HILL on my arse. a little soggy and very grimy i eventually found the path and the bridge to a very special beautiful hideaway. 

so up this hill it levels off and hidden up behind the trees and the mud and the gravel is a wee green and blue and orange secret garden. there's a waterfall and a bunch of lovely wispy trees and a natural viewing platform made of piles and piles of slates on the face of the hill. you can see right across the water and watch the world go by framed with nature. it is virtually untouched and so calm.

there are the remains of a wee slate building. maybe just big enough to fit two people lying down, if that. 

when we were children we were told by my mum and my uncle that this was where a wee old miner lived and his every day would be spent carrying slates he had mined down to the shore. if i was him i would never leave, and the whole space has an eery protected feeling to it.

once when we were younger we took some family friends up to see it and one of them carved his initials in a tree. when we went back the next time to see if they were still there we found a half rotted sheep's corpse at the bottom of the water fall. on this trip up i didnt see a single trace of either. i was very relieved.

some shoots pushing through the mulch.

 

i hung around and did some sketches and then before i knew it it was nearly time for the sun to go down and i didnt want to be stuck up there in the dark with my muddy crusty bum!!!

thanks Moster for washing my jeans :)