GOMA I managed to take in the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art or GOMA as it’s known. I hadn’t been back since the Banksy art exhibition in the autumn of 2023 (details can be found in Part 60 of this series). Fewer crowds this time, but still busy. I was pleased to see the statue … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 149
Edinburgh Castle There is so much that could be said about Edinburgh Castle, I’ve decided to put down some random thoughts instead, rather than trying to outline its history. I’m a member of Historic Scotland again, having been with the National Trust over the last year, so visiting Edinburgh Castle and then for example Stirling … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 148
Edinburgh Gin I visited the new Edinburgh Gin Distillery, which is located at The Arches, East Market Street, just along from Waverley Station. Great location, with a gift shop and a bar that provides a good view of the Martyrs of Reform Monument and Governor’s House. I managed to take a video of a steam … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 147
Vaccine The National Museum of Scotland is hosting a free exhibition called Injecting Hope – The Race for a Covid-19 Vaccine. It’s been five years since the UK went into its first lockdown, as we found ourselves into a global pandemic. The exhibition tells the story of that time and how less than a year … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 146
Scotland’s Photography Collection I made a point of visiting the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh (due to being close to the Royal Society which I blogged about in part 142) and it was one of those random last minute decisions that paid off. The collection totals over 55,000 artworks with a remit of collecting … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 145
Space Over the last month there has been two space related events which are particularly notable. From the 25th to the 28th of February 2025 there was an alignment of seven planets – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn. This is the last time this phenomenon will be seen so clearly until 2040. … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 144
Record Fair I was excited to stumble across a record fair. I hadn’t heard one was being held in Stirling on the weekend I was in town, so it was good to feel that buzz I get when I see the opportunity to browse music with like-minded folk. Maybe it’s my age, but I was … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 143
Neglected Tropical Diseases A work colleague of mine has an additional role of photographer with the University and provides a visual record for a variety of international visits and cultural exchanges. I was excited to hear that a couple of his photographs had been selected for inclusion at an exhibition at The Royal Society of … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 142
The King I met King Charles III. Spoke a couple of words and shook hands. Very surreal. It was well known he was making a visit to the next town down from me, but as a result of knowing someone who knows someone who was in the village community centre when police and what was … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 141
The Dark Side of the Moon The Glasgow Science Centre Planetarium was hosting The Dark Side of the Moon album by Pink Floyd and I was fortunate to get a ticket and go along to listen to what is one of my all time favourite albums. I could spend all day writing about Pink Floyd … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 140
The Fiction Factory 