A change of scene

Glasgow today - a shopping trip with my sister. I went up on the bathtub boat and the train, blethering all the way with my former boss and his wife - school days clearly making a comeback in my life these days - to start off with an espresso in Central Station. Our first call was Buchanan Street, which is where I took this photo. The man in orange calls himself Opera Guy (he has a Facebook page) and he's magnificent. He was singing Nessun Dorma when we arrived, his voice soaring round the buildings, perfect and glorious, to an orchestral backing track. And everyone was smiling, stopping to listen, applauding when he finished. His collecting box was filling up nicely; one woman bought one of his CDs as he sang. It made such a change from the more usual buskers - a great start to the day.

We managed to keep going till mid-afternoon, by which time I had as many parcels and bags as I could safely manage on the train. Our last stop was in a café I'd not come across before - Cafe Fame, on Hope Street - where we found the corner table, complete with comfy wing chairs and a vista of the street, empty. Coffee and cantucci were sufficient to see us home ...

The train was busy at first - the train to the coast that stops at every lamppost - but after Bishopton it grew quiet. The pier was bleak and cold, and there was a twenty minute wait for the boat. I've fought to keep awake all evening, but now I'm giving up. Shopping is hard work, cities are tiring. But that moment of music was a joy.