All locked up

I was tempted to blip this today, as I just couldn't resist recording this amazing sky at 3pm right outside the bedroom window.

But I had the weekly challenge 'lock' in mind when I poppped to the retail park early this morning for more Xmas tree lights from Homebase and yet again saw this famous historic Lanark building, all locked up and going to rack and ruin.

I felt that the overnight sprinkling of snow just highlighted the boarded up windows and skylights and lent it an even more forlorn air than usual.

This is the old octagonal stone auction ring, dating from the late 19th century, that was the centrepiece of the auction market that stood on this site until 2004, when the market was relocated to a bigger site and the land was sold for a small retail park. The owners of the site had guaranteed that a new use would be found for the building, as part of the planning conditions for the retail park, but it is painfully obvious that the doors are firmly locked and barred.

In 2011 planning permission was granted to turn the building into an Italian Restaurant, but the ghosts of the many beasts that passed through this historic auction ring are still waiting for the doors to be unlocked and restoration work to begin.

Now that I have more lights and no aquafit as Iain isn't feeling well I have no excuse but to spend the evening dressing the Xmas tree. Not my favourite job, but if anyone else does it I just have to go around fiddling with it, so probably best for me just to do it in the first place.