I am back home after twelve days away and my creative juices flowing.

A fleeting visit to the UK, seeing life from different portals and spending time with family and friends I don’t see enough of.

Visiting Glasgow for the first time, feeling its vibrant heartbeat and being amazed by the impressive art nouveau buildings.   My heart aches for Glasgow’s recent loss, the devastating fire at the Glasgow School of Art designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  I visited the Scotland Street School (below), also designed by Mackintosh between 1903 and 1906.  It is now a museum that tells the story of a hundred years of education in Scotland from the late 19th century to the late 20th century.

Then on to the Lake District where the scenery was stunning, whichever way you looked.

Derwentwater

From Cumbria to Yorkshire, the place of my birth, where I retraced the footsteps of my forebears.

The Beer Garden at the Shoulder of Mutton, where my mother played as a child.

The Shoulder of Mutton experience with my cousin Catherine

12 days, three different parts of the UK and I absorbed the sensory delights of all three.

Seeing life from a different perspective, even for a short time, is guaranteed to stimulate the creative juices.