Stargazing for Dummies @ Merry-go-round

We once took the Stargazing Course at the Glasgow Science Centre which was run by Steve and it was brilliant. He's a great speaker so I think this talk would be well worth catching. With the nights getting darker earlier and earlier there is more chance of getting out and getting a clear night to see all the constellations hanging in the sky.

"Stargazing for Mummies" talk is on Thursday 10 October at 8pm - 9:30pm in Merry-Go-Round Glasgow. Tickets are free and include a drink and some nibbles.

This Weekend: 15/16 December

Boy its a busy one this weekend with a lot to get through. With the big Xmas day just over a week away, I'm sure everyone is frantically searching for the perfect gifts. Well follow our suggestions below and you might find yourself some really unique items without having to leave the Southside bubble!!

Now there is so much on, that not everything is do-able but how about this run down suggestion of what you could do each hour. (Follow the links for more info and see out Southside Seller's list for local artists selling interesting Christmas gifts.)

SATURDAY 15 December

8am/9am - Breakfast
Get up early and go somewhere for a tasty and hearty cooked breakfast (you are going to need it). We suggest starting in the Shawlands today. Suggestions for places to go for food are Eat Cafe or Biscuit Cafe. Eat Cafe's Stornaway stack is delicious and Biscuit do an excellent hot chocolate.
10am - Gift Shopping

After your feed why not wander to some of the Shawlands' brilliant gift shops like Paper plane, Butterfly Kisses, Nuala Ash or Pierrot and Coco. The perfect way to work off some of that breakfast is to take a walk down the other side of Queens Park and visit Pink Wafer, Eden gifts and the new Whitespace Kids which looks excellent but we've not had a chance to visit yet. On your way you can stick your head into the Shed and see their Christmas Market.

11pm - Farmer Market
Now back through the park to the last Farmer's Market of the year at the entrance off Victoria Road to fill up on all the ingredients you'll need for Christmas day.

12pm - Maxwell Park
After a quick visit to Marie Brown at Home, next up is a visit to the pop up exhibition and art sale in Maxwell Park station to see what work they have on display. (Maxwell Park Exhibition open 12pm-7pm)

1pm - Albert Drive Studios Open day and pop-up shops
Now head west along Albert Drive and you'll reach the rather magical converted villa of Albert Drive Studios which is home to some of the Southside's most interesting designers and makes. Their doors are open this whole weekend along with several pop-up shops by a mix of invited guest artists in their What a Wonderful Weekend. (You can see some of the artists work in our S/side makers post from yesterday.) There will also be a pop-up cafe with amazing home baking and we suggest a couple of cakes and some mulled wine should keep you going til dinner time. (Studios open 10am - 5pm Sat and Sun)

2pm - Galgael Craft Market
Now this is walkable, but you might want to jump in a taxi as you head slightly north to visit the Galgael Christmas Fayre on the edge of Govan to see all the brilliant things that the team there have been making. Lots of lovely solid objects carved from thick chunks of wood. You can also see the wonderful boats that they make, eat some freashly roasted chestnuts and listen to carol singers. (Galgael open 10am-4pm with a raffle draw at 3pm)

3pm - Southside Film Festival
Now, if you have little ones, or if you just like a good old school Ardman Animation charmer of a movie then you'll want to get back to Queens Park now to catch the Southside Film Festival's showing of Arthur Christmas at the GladCafe.

5pm - Tramway
After the film you can go checkout the Fresh Face Alternative Winter Fayre at the Tramway to see a dynamic programme olive music and performance by young people, compared by 17 year old Fat Brestovca. (2pm - 8pm drop-in)

6pm - Malaga Tapas / Nachos
Getting peckish again already! Malaga Spanish Tapas on St Andrew's Drive is really tasty or for other spicey treats you could try Nachos mexican food on Skirving Street.

7:30pm - Classical Music
Now you've earned a bit of relaxation so go chill out and listen to the music of the Glasgow Orchestral Society at Sherbrooke St Gilbert's on Nithsdale Road.

SUNDAY 16 December
10am - Long lie then breakfast
If you made it round a quarter of the things that were on yesterday then you were doing well and deserve another big breakfast. This time, try Clarkston with Eat Deli for food then shopping in Gifted, Nuala Ash and the lovely Toy Parade. Also worth a visit as you head to our next suggestion is Bumblebee at Paul Hodgkiss Design.

11am - Scotland Street School
The Corky Film Club is taking place at Scotland Street School with this weeks film the Christmas Classic 'Home Alone'. You can also get a good look round the Beatrix Potter exhibition too.

12am - Tramway
You can see the last showing of Richard Hughes exhibition "Where it all happened once" at the Tramway which ends today and is a really interesting and unusual show.

1pm - Albert Drive Open Studios and Pop up Shop
If you didn't make it along to the Albert Drive Studios yesterday or if you needed to think about things before buying then journey back to today for more open studios and pop-up shops. (Albert Drive open 10am - 5pm)

2pm - House for an Art Lover
If you still need a couple of gifts then the House for an Art Lover's artisan Fayre should do the trick. With 23 stalls indoors and 12 outdoors. They are also a very good shout for lunch too, their cafe is excellent. (Fayre runs 12am - 4pm)

3pm - The Old Barn
Need to unwind, then travel to the lovely setting in Pollok Park of the Old Barn and have some yoga as part of their Crafty Christmas chill-out. (2:30 - 5:30pm)

3:30pm - Film at The Shed
More film with a showing of "Its a Wonderful Life" in The Shed. (Hope they got the projector fixed, it was all green when we went to see NEDS earlier in the year.)

7:30pm - Comedy at The Bungo
Comedy with the Improv Dogs at The Bungo

8pm - Music at GladCafe
America music night at GladCafe with the City Sinner

(Let us know in the comments below what we've missed)

Alma Mater @ Scotland Street School

This looks like a lot of fun, Created by ex-Southsider and Ukuele player extrordinaire Eilidh MacAskill and her company Fish and Game, Alma Mater is a new site-specific performance-for-camera tour created for Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Scotland Street School. With an original musical score from John De Simone and in collaboration with a range of Glasgow-based artists, Alma Mater engages with themes of childhood and the coercive, civilising power of education.

Individual audience members use portable video screens to explore the school and encounter traces of performances past. In its pioneering form, the work explores the nature of theatricality ‘in the flesh’ and on screen, the relationship between architecture and memory, and how stories can be told once the teller has long since gone.

The photos from their site look amazing. We've seen loads of their creations in the past and all have been fantastic. Def worth trying to get a ticket if you can, but eh leave it five minutes will you until we get ours bought.

10:10-16.30

4-6 November

Scotland Street School Museum, 225 Scotland Street GLASGOW G5 8QB

Info/ Entry every 10 mins. Last admission at 16:30.

Price/ Free. Must be booked in advance. (Security deposit or credit card may be required)

Box Office/ CCA: 0141 352 4900

Alma Mater is being shown as part of the IETM International Performance Conference – http://www.ietm-glasgow.eu/

Kate Thomson Sculpture @ House for an Art Lover

There is a great little show of the fantastic sculptor Kate Thomson's work on at the House for an Art lover right now until 30 September. Her work has a beautiful simple and delicate quality and plays with light in really interesting and unusal ways. Its well worth a trip to the HAL to see the show,

About Kate
"Kate Thomson is an established Scottish sculptor who has been working internationally for the last 20 years. After graduating in Fine Art from Newcastle University, she worked for 3 years as a community artist in the Gorbals in Glasgow, where in 1989 she was also one of the six Founding Directors of the Glasgow Sculpture Studios, before starting to work on site-specific public sculptures for parks, gardens, and buildings all over the world, from inner city re-developments and prestigious new building projects, to established sites like the British Embassy in Tokyo.

Kate Thomson’s work is abstracted from the human form and landscape, exploring relationships in physical, cultural and social space. Her beautifully crafted marble pieces use form to articulate light and life, and touch on something essential yet unique in all of us."

For more images of her work see - http://www.ukishima.net/

Autumn/Winter Show at the Tramway

The Tramway will launch their Autumn Winter exhibitions this Friday night with the opening of two major shows. Lara Favaretto, an Italian born artist, sculptor and performer will exhibit new work alongside London based film artist Hilary Lloyd until 20th December.

Lara Favaretto, uses sculpture, photography, film and installation to create artworks that produce a sense of magical fantasy and urgency, forming an immediate bond with the viewer through a sense of play.

For Tramway’s epic main gallery space, Favaretto will create a kinetic sculptural environment with various motor powered elements. These choreographed and durational sculptures will explore Favaretto’s ongoing artistic investigations into the idea of festival in its various incarnations, drawing on its popular forms and associations such as the carnival or circus. These themes often assuming the form of sculptural objects, installations or events united by the careful planning of their collapse, disintegration or corrosion, thus exploring the significance of an artistic gesture that accepts eventual compromise.

Lloyd creates video, film and slide installations which to date have focused on the themes of the modern city, its subcultures and the people that operate at it’s fringes, her gaze articulating both a personal relationship with her subject, and the processes of reconstructing the act of looking. Lloyd creates a form of ‘anti-portraiture’, shooting situations and protagonists with a contrived passivity that allows the viewer to form their own narratives from her rhythmic and highly charged compositions.

For more information click here

Bowling Tennis and Pitch and Putt Open

For me the sign that summer has arrived, is when the bowling opens in Queens Park. While walking through the park yesterday, we took a quick wander down to see when the bowling was due to open.....to our delight the bowling was already open, in fact it was the first day of the summer season...this was possibly the reason why the greens were empty apart from a Magpie which was happily hopping about.

The greens, tennis and pitch and putt will be open from 10am till 6pm 7 days a week. For anyone that doesn't know the council greens and equipment hire is free.

So I am already planning on a trip to the park next weekend to perfect my bowling technique...looking forward to many summer afternoons of triumph...

* There's also free bowling in Bellahouston Park

MacDonald Bros and Nikitta:judges for the Festival Stars

So we've heard that the MacDonald Bros along with Nikitta Agnes will be judging and performing at this years Festival Stars. It's a southside version of the X Factor and is open to school kids on the southside of the city.

Nikkita Agnes and the MacDonald Bros will be judging both the heats and finals of the competition. If you know of any budding stars or are desperate to see the Macdonald Bros yourself go to www.southsidefestival .co.uk

Legends of the Oche

We have another one of those grey area posts but it is such an exciting occurrence we felt we had to let people know about it.

The reason for the grey area is should our scope include Rutherglen? It is south of the Clyde but it is a little in the far east - not quite land of the rising sun but close to the horizon. The Northern boundary is easy but how far East, West and indeed South should we be going? What do people think?

Anyway the reason we raise this discussion is because we picked up a flyer for upcoming events at Rutherglen Town hall and amongst a range of different events including Dr Bunheads crash test jelly babies, a Patsy Cline concert and a festival for people who are "young at heart" we discovered a night entitled "Legends of the Oche".

"Bobby George, John Lowe and Eric Bristow take to the stage at Rutherglen Town Hall for an evening of darts like never before!

Don't miss your chance to play one of the legends and enjoy the competition when they go head to head. Two hours of great entertainment, hear their true stories, ask them questions, and witness their incredible dart skills live on stage."

I know, how exciting is that, brings back memories of the mid 80's and old episodes of Bullseye - Everything about Darts as a sport is funny, from the brilliant commentators, the speedboats on Bullseye, the crazy WAGS dressed in a ton of Argos gold chains right down to the central concept of very large men throwing very small sharp objects, accurately at a tiny target. Should be a very original and fun night out.

I only have one word for it.

"Magic darts"

EDIT: We just found out that the show has been delayed until the 15th of July - boo I was looking forward to going to that this weekend.

Lengends of the Oche (7:30pm Tickets £10)
Mon 27 April (Now on Wed 15 July)

Rutherglen Town Hall
139 Main Street
Rutherglen G73 2JJ

0141 613 5700

All greek

Gav and I went along to the Burrel on Wednesday to check out the British Musuem touring exhibiton of ancient Greek artefacts. Its a small exhibition but very nicely laid out and it focuses on the most popular and fun aspects of Ancient Greece - Athletes, Warriors and Heroes.

There's a collection of stone sculptures and a great collection of old pottery with that wonderful old black and orange colouring. The best thing about the exhibition is the number of interactive games to play with explain are set up to teach children but in a fun way.

Luckily there was only one of two kids in attendance so we were able to shove them off and play with the toys ourselves. Above is a plate Gav designed.

You could also build your own Wooden horse - complete with hidden compartment for the Greeks to hide in.

There was also a pile of costumes to try and on and masks to wear. As you may notice - the costumes look to be adult size so I think that means we were allowed to play with them.

Ancient greek vase.

Star of the show was an olympic themed board game. We were able to compete in five sports - the javlin, running, long jump, discus and wrestling. The games were played using a combination of cards and a spinner. It was a hard fought battle but I'm glad to say I emerged as the champion and won a bottle of olive oil and a laurel wreath.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the special themed guided tours taking place at the Burrel.

Tuesday 24 Feb, 2.30pm - Iconography: How to read meanings in Art with Mrs Elizabeth Black
Tuesday 10 Mar, 2.30pm - The Rules of Art? with Mr Jim Turle
Monday 23 Mar. @ 11.30am - Christianity through the Arts at the Burrell with Mrs Margaret Anderson

Hatha Yoga Classes

If your interested in taking up a Hatha Yoga or a Yoga for Pregnancy class, there are classes being held in both Shawlands united Reformed Church Hall and in Wood farm Pavillion in Giffnock. For more details look on Sian Pringle's website [below]

For more details http://www.sianpringleyoga.com/index.html

Also Explore Yoga are running two Yoga for pregnancy class's on Tuesday evenings in Newton Mearns.

for more details http://www.exploreyoga.co.uk/glasgow-yfp.htm

And finally a new block postnatal yoga classes starting at the tramway (The Boilerhouse)on thursday 15th JAN'09 @ 10.15am - 11.15am with qualified Iyengar instructor (bring baby and a mat)

Call or e-mail the Tramway

Written in the Stars

Next week we are off on a big adventure to Japan so there will be no posts for a few weeks. Obviously we are very excited but I've just found out about an event happening in Glasgow which we're sadly going to miss.
The Planetarium (one of my favourite attractions in Glasgow) is having a wee poetry evening which I think will be brill. Lying back in nice comfy chairs in the dark, watching the amazing stars floating across the sky which someone with a nice voice reads you poems sounds great and its only £5. Someone is going to have to go and tell us all about it.

Poetry readings in the ScottishPower Planetarium
Try something different this winter! Experience the sky as never before and be amazed as we join poets Liz Lochhead and Jim Carruth under the spectacular sky in the ScottishPower Planetarium.
For centuries, poets have been inspired by the night's sky to write verse. Enjoy a glittering evening under the stars as we travel through time and space accompanied by some favourite star poems.
Doors open at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start.
Cost £4.95
Car park cost: £1
For more details email mailto:jo.foo@glasgowsciencecentre.org or to book please call 0871 540 1000.

Its a Dogs Life

It was one of my mates birthdays during the week and he chose to celebrate it with a trip to the dog racing at Shawfield - I'd never been before and despite looking forward to going, I had some reservations as to how much fun it would be. I feared that it might actually be a bit rubbish.
I'd driven past the Shawfield stadium many times and had always thought it looked a right odd place. When I eventually arrived last night, I discovered that it is indeed an odd place with a fair variety of the kind of odd characters you'd expect - wee old east end glasgow men, young guys in tracksuits and mad women debating with themselves (and anyone within ear shot) over where their betting system was going wrong. Its a very Glasweigan night out and its grand.


For a birthday/ special occasion it is a lot of fun. Its £5 each to get in, but then you can bet as small as £1 on each of the ten races so for another £10 you can have a stake riding all night. I tried betting £5 on my first race and when that quickly disapeared I switched to £1 bets for the remainder and to be honest you get as much excitement with the small bets so I'd stick to that. I'm not maybe the person to be getting advice from however as my chosen dog came last in the first 5 races. doh

Inside is actually pretty big - theres a main stand which houses four different bars, the main terracing and a resturant. All are pretty decent and you can see why folk go along there as the start to a night out, though it was pretty cold out in the stand last night. The races are every 15 mins or so - the trainers bring the dogs out and give them a wee parade and all the punters watch in earnest to see if any one them looks lively or does the toilet. (apparently its very significant - maybe makes them lighter?) Then the dogs are loaded into the traps - a wee buzzer sounds and the electronic rabbit comes flying past, the traps open and the dogs go zooming.
I'm guessing that greyhounds are not that smart - cause if they really are trying to catch the weird looking yellow rabbit then surely after a few races they'd work out that it was a fix and give it up.

Here's my mate Emma with one of the biggest single wins of the night* - £14.51. Sensibly she quit while she was ahead and didn't follow my advice to put it all on the next race.

Finally towards the end of the evening my luck began to improve when I changed my "system" from betting on the dog I thought would actually win to betting on the dog which I thought would come last. This turned out pretty well as not only did I choose three winners in a row, the dogs were also on really good odds and I won about £15 in total. Wooohoo which meant that even taking off the £5 I paid to get in, the bets I lost and my drinks I only actually spent £2 for the 2 hours entertainment.

All in all I recommened giving it a go. Don't worry about being a novice or that you'll do the wrong thing - the staff and the regular punters are pretty friendly and happy to explain the rules and there's not much chance of you sticking out like a sore thumb. We stuck with betting on one winner but there's lots of other combinations you can try as well. Race nights are on four times a week and start at 7pm - the bars etc stay open until midnight. Grab a group of friends and have a go.

We were not quite sure where to place this post as it falls into the greyish area of exactly how far the Southside demarcation Stretches. Technically I think Shawfield falls outside of the Glasgow City boundary but we felt it was too close to really be given the tag "Deep South" so Shawfield has been taken under the broad wings of the term "Southside" instead.

Links
Shawfield Stadium

Wiki-pedia page

Historic images


*biggest in our group that is - we were only betting £1 a go remember. There were folks betting with £100 bets and they probably won more than £14.

SMASHING TIMES: HOW TO BUILD A PLANET

23rd of October 2008
Dr Helen Fraser will take you on a journey from the Northern to Southern hemisphere skies, to regions where new planets have been found, around baby stars and into chemical cauldrons of our galaxy. Your feet certainly won't touch the ground during this exploration of the greatest construction projects in space- both man-made and natural- as we discover how planets are formed.
Glasgow Science Centre
Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7pm start.
Tickets £4.95
Car park cost: £1

For more details email jo.foo@glasgowsciencecentre.org or to book please call 0871 540 1000.

WINTER NIGHT SKY 2008

Gav and I did the Winters night sky course at the Science Centre last year and it is brill. Highly recommended try and get a ticket while you can. Info below.

In collaboration with the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Science Centre's ScottishPower planetarium presents Winter Night Sky 2008.

Don't hibernate this winter! Swap the comfort of your couch for a spectacular view of the stars in one of Europe's best planetariums. Join Jo Foo and Steve Owens as they take you on an adventure across the winter night sky. Learn how to locate the north star, discover the planets, understand nebulae, and delve in to the history of astronomy!
The Winter Night Sky class is for everyone, from absolute beginners to enthusiasic amateurs! Please note, there are no exams or homework, just ten hours of relaxation under the glittering stars!
The class will run on Monday evenings, 1900 - 2100 from Monday 13 October until Monday 10 November 2008

To book please call University of Glasgow 0141 330 1853 or go to link and quote Winter Night Sky coursenumber "G188". Course cost: £50

Model life

This Sunday 10 August is the annual regatta of the Glasgow South Ship Modellers Society. It is on from 12 - 4pm and is usually really good fun, with lots to see and do. Event takes place around the large pond in Queens Park.

Festival Fiesta - official after show party

On Saturday night, as part of the Southside Festival, there is an after festival party at the Glasshouse's in Queens park 7pm-1pm. The glasshouse should make an amazing venue for a party. There are a couple of well known southside bands playing.

If you want to support the festival and go along, tickets are only £5 and can be ordered by calling the festival line on 0141 423 6037.

If we want the Southside festival to continue year after year, everyone needs to get behind the event and support it.

Re Shuffle at the Pierce Institute - Govan

An event called Re-Shuffle is on at the Pierce Institute in Govan on Saturday, their seems to be lots of interesting things going on for kids and adults.

The idea of Re-Shuffle is to present a series of activities ranging from things to do with the kids to how to become more active in your community. It will not be dull and boring, it will have interesting things for old and young, to try and do. We will cater for the book people, the film goers, as well as the experimental wean. We will be filling the MacLeod hall and other spaces in the Pearce with stalls and groups of all kinds.

Click here for further information

The Irn Bru Carnival at the SECC

On my way home last night, I noticed that there is a rather, brightly lit, large big wheel at the SECC. I had forgotton about the Glasgow Carnival, it's been along time since I 've been.

I am not really sure I 'd want to go back, my little nephew made me go on one of the rides in George Square and I suddenly realised that being turned upside down and spun around doesn't appeal to me...but if it does to you, here's the link to the website.

Irn Bru Carnival at the SECC

Polish St Andrews Day

St Andrew's day is on Friday and for the first time in Scotland it's an official holiday. There are bound to be quite a few events on in the city. However the Pierce Institute in Govan are hosting a Polish/Scottish St Andrews night. The events free. There seems to be a mixture of Polish and Scottish music, Ceildh dancing and Polish fortune telling involving Hot Wax? Well if your brave enough.

The events on from 7pm until 10pm and it's bring your on bottle.

Luv's Christmas Market

The Linthouse Urban Village are hosting their annual Christmas Market, on Saturday from 10am until 3pm. The Markets being held in Tunnel Park, close to the south end of the Clyde tunnel.

There seems to be lots on for the kids, with Santa on a Horse and Cart, Santa's Grotto and face painting. There will also be a host of stalls selling everything from crafts to fine foods.

If your in the area on Saturday, you should go along....you may just pick up the perfect Christmas Present. If you are in a very festive mood, you could do both the Luv Christmas Market and the market in Langside Halls. See previous post

House for an Art Lover

This winter, if you are in the mood for some good food and some enjoyable music and you have a large wallet then you should give the "House for an Art Lover" in Bellahousten Park a visit.

When I first visited the house a few years ago, I found it a strange building - beautifully old in look and yet weirdly modern at the same time. This I guess is due to the fact that the building was created from old sketch designs left behind by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This means that while some elements of the building are extremely carefully thought out and detailed by the big man himself, other areas have been put together by contemporary architect in a different style. While on the whole the two different parts meld together pretty well - it does unfortunately highlight the main glaring fact about the building - its a fake. While the main rooms are as delicately sculpted as those at the Hillhouse or the School of Art, the rooms here were never built to be lived in. When you open some doors, instead of another smart bedroom, you'll find a fire escape or a large modern meeting room.

The building has really been constructed as an exercise in style and as such lacked the lived in quality that the real Mackintosh buildings have. This is not necessarily a problem or a detracting feature, but it is something to be aware of when you visit as otherwise it can make for an uneasy experience.

Returning recently I was pleased to see that the building is beginning to grow into its surroundings and take on a more settled look. The inside is still a bit of a mix but it too has developed further, most noticeably as a very popular wedding venue. (If you decide to visit - phone ahead to check if a wedding is on. They are nice to see, but it does mean most of the building will be closed off to you.) With weddings, corporate events and the Houses programme of music performances, the building does now feel that it has a purpose and now has that little spark of life. Its just a shame the location is not that brilliantly served by public transport.

Anyway, the reason for this post, is to talk about the music concerts. There are a good few on over Christmas, most involving some posh grub and the wearing of a black tie. I think they could be ideal to get you into the Christmas spirit but at £55 a ticket they are a little expensive. The alternative is the Sunday Recitals which take place throughout the year - the next one is 9 December - Lauren MacColl/ Barry Reid - fiddle/ guitar and its only £3.50.

http://www.houseforanartlover.co.uk/

Winter Fayre - Langside Halls

The Glasgow Greens are holding their Winter Fayre in Langside Halls
on Saturday 1st December, 11 to 3.30, admission 70p under 12's free.

There will be home baking, toys, children's clothes, books, jewellry,
paintings etc, and the usual splendid tearoom.

For more info contact Kay allan on 571 1215.

All sounds good especially the home baking - I 'll have to get my flatmate to go buy some (you reading Gav) as I'll be away in Ireland.

Bonfire Night

I think one of the most interesting bonfire nights I've ever enjoyed was when a short film I had made was shown at the Chateaux Gateaux in Bridge Street.

Before the films were shown we wandered onto the roof of the building, up a winding, derelict set of stairs which had missing handrails, missing steps and a dead pigeon. The roof itself also didn't have a protective handrail around the edge which, being a clumsy individual, did make me very uneasy. The view however was great and we also enjoyed the accompaniment of a rather odd but enthusiastic acoustic band as well.

The last two years I have again opted out of actually travelling to one of the organised events and instead have just sat on the roof of my flat which gives a great 360 degree view of the city. Last year, it was pretty freezing, but was livened up by my neighbours joining me on the roof to launch their own rockets.

Its a very uneasy feeling watching rockets explode around the city. It feels like a pretty war zone as clouds of smoke start swirling into the sky and eventually the city disappears in a cloud of dust. Not sure what I'll do this year. I've got the night class on that night so might miss the whole thing, though I'm sure I'll see some explosions over the weekend.

Its strange that once a year, everyone in the country goes crazy buying live gunpowder, setting fires all around the city and letting off controlled explosions? We are all mental.

An alternative option from going along to the big show at Glasgow Green this year is to go to the Glasgow and West of Scotland Green Party's, "alternative bonfire night" at The Pandora on Victoria Road. Its a fund raising event which will include a raffle, a quiz, seasonal food and prizes. It starts at 8pm and runs until 11pm. Entrance is £3 or £5 for couples.

Do other political parties do the same thing? Do they share out events across the year - labour get valentines day, the tories get pancake day?

What other bonfire night parties are going on? Any suggestions?

Design Collective Studio

The Design Collective Studio is holding an exhibition of work by local craftsman featuring work by Talking Jewellery, Crazy for Ruthie, DesIna Glass, Karen James Ceramics and Lucky Cats handmade soaps and toiletries.

The studio is open Wed-Sat , 11am - 6pm. 30/09/06-15/11/06.

Items are available to buy and commisions can be placed with the maker. Phone 0141 445 5077 for more information.

The current exhibiton ends on the 15/11/2006

Location: The Design Collective Studio, 847 Govan Road, Glasgow

Eilidh's Daily Ukulele Ceilidh

Todays suggestion of a fun thing to do in the Southside is a slightly strange one but comes highly recommended.

Eilidh MacAskill is one half of performance artist magicians Fish and Game (Formerly Reader) who's unique style, layering multiple ideas in a humourous, playful, dream like fashion have wowed audiences around Scotland for the last few years. Their past performances have included a show involving a man that wants to become a whale, a campfire storytelling session (with the audience tucked up together in sleeping bags) an exploration of what it means to be Scottish and a beautiful reimagining of the nativity play.

Now Eilidh brings us "Eilidh's Daily Ukuele Ceilidh" where each day of 2007 she has been performing with her little ukuele around Britain, the US and Canada. In the run up to the completion of the project on 31 December Eilidh is having a pretty busy time, performing all over the place, the Traverse at the weekend before coming over to Glasgow for a show at the Tron. The highlight of her month, and probably of the entire year however is a show at Sammy Dows on 67 -71 Nithsdale road, Pollokshields on the 5 November. What better way to get into the spirit of celebration commemorating someone trying to blow up parliment than to go along and listen to a bit of first rate Ukueleing (sp?). The show starts at 7pm.

If it wasn't for my astronomy class (which continues to be excellant) then I'd be in the front row.

Eilidh's Daily Ukuele Ceilidh

fish and game site

Scotsman preview of Eilidh's Show

We are all in the gutter . . .

. . . but some of us, are doing a fantastic course in astronomy at the Planetarium.

Me and my flatmate are doing a five week course, "The Winter Night Sky" organised through Glasgow University's Adult Learning scheme. Last night was the first night and it was really enjoyable. Playing to a packed house of 110 happy spectators, our guide Steve Owens (Head of the Planetarium) was extremely interesting and infectiously enthusiastic. His passion for the subject was very evident and he offered to answer questions from the audience before the class, during the class, at the break, after the class or by via email between classes happily handing out his email address to everyone. I hope for his sake we don't all start emailing in with questions immediately.

If you've never been to the planetarium you really should give it a go. You lie back in large comfy chairs, looking up at the huge white dome ceiling. As the lights dim, the ceiling appears to vanish and a spectacular vista of stars hangs all around you in a crystal clear precision that sadly we don't see very often in real life. When the stars first began to sparkle above us and the milky way revealed itself, there was an audible wow from the audience and as I looked about the room, everyone had big grins on their faces like little kids.

As I mentioned above the lecture itself was excellent, covering a simple introduction to astronomy and pointing out some of the more well known constellations - Orion, the plough etc. Steve then explained about the changes that you can see in the sky, from the passage of the sun and planets, to the waxing of the moon. As he talked people shouted out questions and we would shoot off into intriguing tangents but always returning to the main topic. Sadly, if you think this all sounds like fun, I'm afraid this particular course is fully booked, but I'd recommend contacting the Science Centre and finding out about any other classes that are on.

While you can attend the planetarium during a visit to the Science Centre - the day time talks are aimed at kids and though you will get the wow factor of just seeing the dome in work, the shows only last 30 mins, which just isn't long enough to take it all in, so a longer course is best.

If you don't feel like committing to a full 5 or 10 week class however, there are also monthly lectures on the last Thursday of the month. The next one therefore is on Thursday the 25th at 7pm. Booking is essential so call 0871 540 1000. Tickets are £4.95.

A ladies game

This coming Saturday is a great time to visit the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park. Not just because of the football fever that Scotland's recent brilliant results have brought to the city but also because it coincides with the opening of a new exhibition dedicated to woman's football. Following the Woman's World Cup in Japan last month, which got a lot of attention for the wrong reasons - (some dodgy goal keeping and some quite bizarre refereeing in a few of the high profile games didn't help) - there appears to be an increasing interest in woman's football and a few members of the Scottish Woman's team will be there to sign autographs.

There is also the extra incentive that entry to the museum has been reduced from £5.50 to £2 for adults and from £2.75 to £1 for children. Stadium tours will also be reduced from £6 to £2 for adults and from £5 to £1 for children.

So why not get along, go on the tour and walk on the hallowed turf where hopefully this time next month, regardless of what happens tonight, we'll beat Italy and find way into Euro 2008.

(Doh - I think I jinxed the Georgia game by putting on this post before the match.)