A walk up the street to Shawlands – a neighborhood I could live in. Went to the post office there to pick up the package I had sent ahead.

I like Glasgow -Mr Jake of Alabama 3 Fame said Pittsburgh looked like Glasgow in ’65. Now what’s odd is that I thought Glasgow looked like Pittsburgh in ’65. Mostly because all of the things that aren’t there anymore are  here. (Note to non’Burghers – what is not here anymore is how we give directions. ” Go to past where the old Islay’s was  (pronounced eyezleez) then turn right where the Playhouse used to be”). So I have no idea how they give directions here.

Anyway there’s all sorts of types of things that we don’t have anymore like neighborhood butchers and small dress shops and fishmongers even, and a real downtown but they call it city center. And also people and, oh yeah, public transportation, in fact that seems to be how the people get there. (I  had a flash back to waiting for a bus at Donahues in Market Square. Circa 1965).

They have side walk fences to keep me from getting killed

And I became friends with the 57 bus –  I just love getting around on buses.Like I used to be able to do.

In any case this was this first “adversity” for me – Nothing to do with the people or place. The people were great.

Some of the issue was my physical condition – I carried a coald from Holmfirth and tripped over a Bike Lane curb so acquired a bruised knee and pulled muscle thing on my left hand which have been my companions ever since.

The other were two issues  caused by me not being from the UK.

Actually the first is that my credit/debit cards are not from UK. They aren’t chip and pin. Now the post office man in Brixton said all the machines here are chip and pin and I hadn’t had a problem since. Until I got here. That’s what all the stores and machines where I was were chip and pin. and there’s no such thing apparently of just punching in the number. So I spent most of my cash and the rest of the day on the phone to Visa  – that’s a story for another day – finding out where I could get cash -3 banks in Glasgow one was Royal Bank of Scotland so I spent the rest of the day finding how to get to one of them.

Backyard of the apartment. Where I got to spend Tuesday afternoon on the phone

The other issue happened Thursday while I was trying to arrange my assistance for my trips to Comrie and then to Kyleakin with the Scotrail.  I ran out of minutes, due to those calls taking my international minutes and the Vodafone people only tell you about your UK minutes. in a most annoying way. So I spend that morning trying buy minutes. But I can’t because I don’t have a UK Postal code and there is absolutely no way to talk to a human. So I look online for a Vodafone store. One was right next to the Bank I went to the day before. But no need to look up the buses just hop on my friend the 57.

Unfortunately these health and  administrative hassles  meant I was not able to hook up with any of the Permaculture folks I would meet this weekend nor see any of their projects.  Bummer. would love to get back.

Oh yes the signal was very poor to this basement flat so the Tuesday phone calls were me standing outside in the rain with my cold and a cat on my head.

I did get to inspect this herbal spiral which I may copy when I get a chance