There are around 15 little villages in the city proper, each of them has a little streak of charm that I appreciate every time I stumble off a bus to work. Kirkton has very wide streets that are lined with lots of grass and trees; this is particularly refreshing as the village sits right on the green belt. Combined it feels like the houses just tail off into the lush green hills and glens. Douglas has two giant wind turbines spinning sedately over the houses. Right beside them is a chimney that lets off clean-looking white smoke. On blue-sky days, it's like a postcard to everyone who isn't fool enough to think windfarms ugly.
Charleston has a cherry-blossom tree right outside the library which blooms more dramatically than any other tree of that variety I've encountered. Broughty Ferry has the most delightful little stone harbour which elderly couples stroll past even on the coldest of days, so long as there's a little sun. There's also a little garden for the library which has a statue of a man reading on the bench. Every time someone goes to sit out there, they always have company. Ardler has a big sign next to the centre of the area which shows an artistic map from (very tall) crane perspective. Lochee is in a constant state of being ripped up, so everytime I go there is a new clean pavement or some trees planted. Fintry has a little back-path between streets that opens into a tiny grassy court that reminds me of a place I used to play in back home in Dunfermline.
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| Below the Blossom |
It's got its fair share of pleasant scenes has Dundee, but like any sight seen every day for three years, the little things need to work harder to make the large seem pleasant. The libraries are the community outlets for the council as well as being the focal point of most of these communities. As such you get to see a good range of the people who live there, and often these people reflect the sad stereotypes made about Dundee by Scottish outsiders. Teenage single mothers who have no patience for their children, individuals clearly on hard drugs asking you to help them scam benefits on the library computers. Children who are apprehensive to go home straight from school because their parents are big drinkers. Luckily, the large number of tremendous characters that live in these areas give me confidence all is not lost.
On Saturday, the city centre fills with shoppers and little stalls selling farm produce and hosting jazz bands. It really brightens up the whole town. Students are flowing back in for the coming academic year, the town becomes more youthful, more lively, more attractive. I really enjoy this time of year, and to be fair I really like this town. The only thing is, I'm very, very ready to leave.
I'm not sure if that turned out to be a positive or negative post! Perhaps I should end with a tale from Whitfield Library. Last week I was working there during one of the meetings of the local history club. The elderly members frequently printed off old sheets of text they'd discovered online, written in that archaic script that young fools like me compare to the script on the one ring. One of the gentlemen there was an old army officer looking man. He wore a purple-coloured dinner jacket and held his back straight and his chin high, though he had a very friendly face. He took a print from my hand and began to chuckle as he read down the page. I asked him what was so funny, and he turned the page around to let me see. It was a list of births written back in the early 1900s where they were pretty blunt in their labels. The list was of children who were not acknowledged by one of their parents, so next to many of the names was BASTARD in block capitals. "Jim Hodgins - BASTARD". The old guy couldn't stop laughing and I unashamedly joined him.
Hah :).
(Mid-way through writing that, my new neighbour knocked on my door and introduced herself to me. She lives there with her EDIT - friend and studies at the same uni as me. We chatted away and washed the floor of our mutual corridor which had been reeking of garbage form a source we couldn't quite discern. It's really sweet to have a friendly face next door :).)
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