Night Town. Art of Darkness.

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November is normally a dull, bleak month in Scotland with a lot of rain. It's cold, damp, and usually miserable with darkness arriving over Glasgow around 4:00 pm on wet weather days. By mid December that's down to a 3:30pm nightfall, but by then it's normally drier with a chance of snow or frost...so not as uniformly grey. A view from a hill in Knightswood here looking over the western edge of the city. So traditionally, for the last decade, I've being going out at night instead during November as I find it's far more colourful than life during the day. And I miss my colour fix.

These photos were taken over two separate evenings after a weekend of almost constant heavy rain which started to ease and dry into clearer skies only around 4:00pm as it was getting dark. Rather than walk around in pouring rain with not much to see I decided to go a run on my bike from Anniesland to Drumchapel, using the back streets to avoid traffic.

Taken in no particular order, apart from a few brief wintry showers it did stay dry... and I found my rainbow of colours. A dark rainbow.

Looking in the direction of the Kilpatrick Hills here with Blairdardie Flats and Clydebank in the distance to the middle and left.

There's a reason why not many people cycle at night unless they have to for work purposes if they don't have a car. It's bloody dangerous! But it does feel edgy.

With it raining heavily all day many of the lower lying roads were flooded, like here in Knightswood Park as the falling autumn leaves have clogged up the drains. Good for reflections. This is fine as long as you can see the puddles ahead of you in time but a few instances occurred  in darker places with limited illumination where I either ran straight into hidden puddles or had to get off and walk in case I hit an obstacle under the surface.

There's something very noir or sinister about going around at night though that I really like, especially in photography terms. This is one taken of a flooded lane beside the canal and as it was raining slightly I had my hand up to shelter the lens from raindrops. Note the three blocks of flats.

Exact same view but experimenting with a different darker camera setting. In this one the three blocks have turned into a deck access estate of long buildings. Who says the camera doesn't lie? Incidentally, most of these photos look at their best full screen in the dark or in a dim room... and on a sizable screen... not a smart phone size.

Hi rise flats Yoker/ Scotstoun District. Despite many clusters of these giants being demolished Glasgow still has a sizable number of skyscrapers left, built long before London developed a taste for them. In the days before intercoms, CCTV,  and sealed door entry systems I used to collect them. I had over a hundred on my list across the Central Belt that I've been up and explored furtively, along with the more conventional collection of Scottish bothies and Munros bagged. Great memories every one.

Tower blocks have always fascinated me for their scale, size, and sheer dominant  presence in any landscape. Urban mountains, each with their own unique character. Some wild, dark and savage inside... others clean, modern, and safe. Just like mountains.

And at night with low light levels they become a focal point for photography. First star/planet appearing here, probably Venus.

Going through Knightswood Park in the dark. Didn't use a torch here or anywhere else as I prefer in city areas to ghost through undetected and use my other senses instead. A torch just lets other people find your location easily.

 

Even deeper in the park. Felt rather soggy underfoot at this point. I had boots on but wet ground and full darkness would deter anybody else so good news. Saw a fox before it noticed me. Quiet movement and patience pays off in the dark, sneaking up on many things. Nature is wonderful!

 Then back to the bright lights again. Neon Demon. They used to say the streets of London were paved with gold ( meaning money) but it could also mean spectacular electric light displays compared to the darker countryside or smaller towns.

 Growing up in a big city you tend to take lighted streets for granted as an everyday occurrence but I've been in smaller rural villages, many centuries old, down in England especially, and the darkness down there came as something of a shock. Huge gaps of black nothingness between glow worm pools of dim light where you really did need a torch to find your way around, especially as a stranger passing through the area.

Great Western Road at night near Blairdardie, showing the new cycle lanes and bollards. Mixed feelings about these.

Another view of Great Western Road, heading back to Anniesland.

Knightswood Primary School. I think. (couldn't see the sign.)

 

Row of local shops. Great Western Road.

Popular local pub. Even before Covid 19 pubs have been hit hard by cheap supermarket drink, a less heavy drink orientated culture in general and the smoking ban, but pubs, high streets and city centres still bind many communities together. Covid has also accelerated a shift towards a contact-less, impersonal, cashless, indoor leaning society, controlled and manipulated by smart devices, operated by humans at the moment but not for long as machines gradually take over your preferences for you, and everything delivered to your doorstep in a box being the growing new normal. This is just the start of it. And once the old stuff  and greater individual choice/ freedom is gone it may not come back again.

A pub at night. Comforting somehow... even in the dark.. and shut. A window of humanity and what it used to mean to be human. For good or bad.

BMX park in the rain.

Glistening night time streets.

'A knowledge of angels.'