Autumn In Dumbarton. River Leven. Obsession Insight.

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It occurred to me recently (not for the first time) that most people are obsessive about something or other. You could call it 'interests' but basically its only interests if luke-warm about it or if you are just starting out and it hasn't taken hold fully yet but 'interests' can soon lead into obsessions as a logical follow through. Facebook, from what I've seen, is simply a cascading jigsaw puzzle of peoples own unique interests/obsessions flowing past on the screen every day. I can't claim to be any different as I've always been obsessive as well, since early childhood. My photography obsession is what gets me out and motivates me at the moment rather than climbing mountains or collecting trig points on summits as a single goal/hobby. When I do climb hills these days it is solely for the views and photography aspect rather than any concrete pillar tap at the summit that drives me forwards and gives me mental energy... but whatever the motivation for each person  it simply provides a good reason to get out of bed in the morning and outdoors during any free time period.

My motivation on this occasion was capturing the beautiful displays in Dumbarton's Levengrove Park before winter frosts killed them all off. This is one of the scenic jewels of the town and they always appear to be well tended and looked after by the parks gardening staff.

Cabbage palm trees and orange Kniphofia, seen here, (also known as red hot pokers or torch lily) give this park a real exotic touch on a cold October afternoon. This African introduction to UK gardens was badly needed  on a chilly day of mixed sunshine and heavy showers. The morning had started out dull and grey so this was a late afternoon trip to catch some light and colour for a scant few hours down the coast. Dumbarton is around half an hours drive west from my house in Glasgow so perfect for a half day photography splurge in autumn.

Not sure if a cool wet summer is good for berries but an abundance of riches was certainly on show.

Every half hour it turned grey and dark but the showers didn't last long, driven through by a strong wind, and I had plenty of nearby mature trees to shelter under, still with leaves intact.

Once the rain had passed sparkling sunlight returned with a better than usual vivid quality. Another great scenic jewel in Dumbarton is the River Leven, seen here, as it flows from Loch Lomond (captured in the previous post) down through the Vale of Leven to end its journey here by flowing into the larger estuary of the Firth of Clyde.

A photographers dream date followed and Levengrove Park sits right at the heart of the action as it borders both rivers with water on two different sides acting as boundary markers. River Leven and Dumbarton high flats here...

River Clyde and upriver moving ship captured against the sun in this one.

Looking across the River Clyde towards the wooded delights of rural Renfrewshire. Deep water channel markers show large ships the correct  line to take in and out of the city and neighbouring Clydebank.

Same ship just passing Dumbarton Rock and Dumbarton Castle heading for Glasgow.

A leaf collection.

More fruity abundance. Thousands of EU workers arrive in the UK every year to pick the berries and fruit we take for granted in our supermarkets. Strawberries, plums, raspberries, blackberries, black currents, etc  can now be grown in modern poly-tunnels outdoors and even in Scotland it is a billion pound industry that can last for six to nine months every growing season. With a falling pound and Brexit looming large on the horizon a recent Scottish programme asked "Who will pick the Berries?"
I found this something of an eyeopener as I never realized the Scottish soft fruit industry was quite so widespread and productive up the fertile and drier east coast or so intensively developed...  or that the growing season had been extended to last most of the year with only a three month barren period in production in some areas. I assumed it was still mainly a summer occupation although I have seen east coast fields covered in large plastic hoops on my travels before- right into the winter time. I assumed that was for poly tunnel turkeys- another innovative idea to rear them largely away from the harsh Scottish climate- although they are also free to roam outside in good weather, beyond the plastic coverings. Fascinating programme.

With frequent rain comes rainbows.

Dumbarton's newly renovated Municipal Buildings. The 'toon concil' offices.... as they used to be called.

Yellow leaves on autumn branches... soon to fall.

Two kayakers on the River Leven.

Fungal fruiting bodies.

Dumbarton Rock with sunshine.

Kayakers arrive at haul out exit. Although short in distance at around six miles long the River Leven is one of Scotland's fastest rivers, draining all of Loch Lomond's 23 mile length in one go, hence the snub nosed compressed variety of kayak used here. A river prone to flooding in winter after heavy rain with very strong under currents year round and an uneven riverbed in places. Maybe not a river for the inexperienced kayaker to start out on, as, if you capsize during the faster stretches, your face is liable to hit several boulders at speed on the way down.

.Dumbarton Rock.

Talking of obsessions now and again a film comes along, without much fanfare, that is a complete joy to watch. I really liked this one. Nightcrawler. A dark take on the American Dream of hard work breeds success. A down on his luck Jake Gyllenhaal gives a mesmerizing bug eyed performance as the desperate but driven freelance news reporter covering crimes and road traffic accidents at night with Rene Russo as the equally driven and ruthless TV viewing figures, career dependent, boss. A film that shines a pallid light on our modern society in general where nightly death and destruction and round the clock breaking news coverage just means excitement/titillation/bigger pay checks for some and how far certain individuals will go within themselves to be successful/ famous/powerful/ rich. An age old question and moral dilemma, but increasingly relevant today. Brutal and dark in places but zips along like a thunderbolt with no slow moments at all. Compelling adrenaline rush cinema. Obviously, if I recommend any films I've liked on here I avoid trailers revealing the entire film and plot.