Some years ago (I’m not sure when, but it was one of those years when Glasgow was hit by a particularly violent storm over the Christmas season), as I made my traditional walk to, and around, Daldowie Crematorium, it was apparent that the fairly flat and open area had been hit hard by the wind.
Many of the tributes in the Garden of Remembrance had been blown away from the memorials they once decorated, and were randomly distributed around the garden area, and surrounding grounds.
Unfortunately, many were new, as families seem to make special visits to the garden around this time of year, and place seasonal tributes.
Many of those which had managed to remain in place, were often badly damaged.
With no way of knowing where these items belonged, or identifying their original locations, crematorium staff had been collection them, and could only place them in piles for collection and removal.
Ever since then, I’ve tended to walk through the garden a little slower, just to appreciate the sentiments of those who chose make this effort. Previously, I’d preferred to stay a little distant as I’d headed down towards the banks of the River Clyde, and make a quick visit to a few of the more interesting remains and features which can be found there.
However, I’ve often toyed with the idea of making special visits, just record some of the more intriguing tributes left in the garden. But, for various reasons, that’s never happened, although this 2023 post was close:
Lost tributes from Daldowie Crematorium’s Garden of Remembrance
This year, things were quieter, and I had more time, as evidence by my eventual success at locating the icehouse, after a number of failed attempts in previous years.
I wasn’t even thinking about this, until I emerged from the woods straight into a couple of these views, located almost next to each other – and was inspired to look out for some more as I made my way out of the garden.
The last one’s a little different, and was a ‘fail’, but included to show how your camera might work a little too hard, and spoil the view you had in mind.
While the pic is fine (apart from my cutting bits off), it’s nothing like the scene I saw.
There, the candles provided interesting pools of light around themselves, leaving much of the scene in deep shadow, although still visible.
I know my camera has internal fiddling to level up such areas of darkness, which is normally just fine, but in this case was definitely NOT what I wanted.
Secret Scotland 