Dreich

It would be the work of seconds to turn this picture into something much brighter, contrastier and punchier than the picture I've posted. But the truth is that today was a dreich day, and I wanted the photo to reflect that.

These cranes are at the Govan shipyards, which the tour guide describes as the largest of the three remaining shipyards on the River Clyde. It is owned by BAE Systems, and is involved in the building of Type 45 Destroyers and aircraft carriers.

"Dreich" is an interesting Scottish word. It is said that the Inuit have fifty words for snow, and that the Scots have fifty words for rain. In truth, "Dreich" doesn't require rain; it's more akin to a kind of drab, dreary, dullness. Perhaps a hint of low-level misery; nothing acute but a general "fed-up" feeling.

So that's why I'm not stretching the histogram and boosting the colours... it was just a dreich day in Glasgow today!