What do you call the narrow walkway between buildings?

Growing up in Manchester, we called them ginnels, while here in Edinburgh they're referred to as 'closes' or 'vennels'. Those narrow walkways between or alongside buildings are known by a wide variety of dialect words across the UK. Here's an interesting map, showing many of the words and where they're spoken. 

haiku

funeral parlour -
too cold
for the time of year 

 

originally published in Femku 38. 

Gaelic Graffiti

I was intrigued to find these examples of Gaelic graffiti in an underpass Edinburgh! 

 The graffiti above says: 

"Chan eil mi a' smaoineachadh gu bheil Gaidhlig cudromach: Tha fios agam, gu bheil" which translates as "I don't think Gaelic is important, I know it is" 

The graffiti above says "ionnsaich Gaidhlig" which simply translates as 'learn Gaelic' to which I can only reply, I'm trying!

senryu

third pint—
special relativity
starts to make sense 

*

First published in Issue 42 of Prune Juice.  

**

Meanwhile I've got two haiku in the current issue of Femku, which you can read here.

Modern 2, National Galleries of Scotland

 Today I went to see the excellent Women in Revolt exhibition at Modern 2, one of the National Galleries of Modern Art in Edinburgh. I'd got there early and while I was waiting for my friend to arrive I took time to take some photos of the impressive architecture. 

The grounds offer views over to Dean Cemetery, which is one of Edinburgh's private cemeteries, so not one that I've done a wildlife survey of! 

The Women in Revolt exhibition looks at feminist art and activism in the 1970s - 1990s and includes paintings, zines, videos and other materials covering topics such as the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, wages for housework, lesbian identity, racism and other issues. It's well worth seeing (in fact I'm going back to see it tomorrow with a different friend!) before it closes on 26 January.