Shall we go for a walk?

“The best place to live is where you are right now” – Hannah Simone

Hiya!!! Thank you sooo much for being here! Roll up your sleeves and let’s go!

Right, right … if you read my previous post you already know that I live in Scotland, but where in Scotland? 

We are not too far from the city of Glasgow in a town called Paisley. 

Paisley has a population of a bit more than 77, 200 people –  and for that, it was given the nickname of “Scotland’s biggest town”.  It is located within Renfrewshire Council (geographical and political division). 

Our house is in a neighbourhood a few kilometres away from Paisley’s “downtown”, making a perfect combination between being close to Glasgow, being close to the town centre, and at the same time, enjoying lots of green areas, much more silence and a few wild animals! Isn’t it exciting? Come on! Put your trainers on and let’s go for a walk seeing some of the highlights of our beloved Ralston. 

Can you close your eyes and imagine lovely houses with a wide variety of different greens in every front garden? Trees, bushes, flowers … there are no rails, maybe a short wall, fence or a hedge. A walk around the neighbourhood ensures seeing lots of different types of birds, a couple of cats wandering around, probably some squirrels, and if it’s late at night or very early in the morning, you might even see some foxes! (I’m not a fan of those!) 

Our first stop will be Felipe’s School and Guille’s Nursery – that’s just 5 minutes from our house. Most schools are state/public here. Each Council has a number of schools within their domain. Nursery is for 3 and 4-year-olds and School goes from Primary 1 till Primary 7. Outdoor play and outdoor learning is a big thing in Scotland. And if you’re wondering: “Isn’t Scotland famous for having terrible weather?” You should learn that there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes! Rain or shine, life outdoors doesn’t stop here. 🙂 

All right now, let’s keep walking … a few more blocks and we get to the Library. Yes! We have our very own cosy library. Renfrewshire Council has a number of libraries around the Council, each Council does. The Library has, of course, a lot of shelves packed with a wide range of books, also some computers and a couple of areas to sit down and spend some time browsing through a book of your choice, magazines or newspapers. Libraries were closed since the beginning of the Pandemic and are only reopening now with limited numbers for drop-in. They are a big part of the Community. They used to hold workshops and also “Book Bug” activities for babies/toddlers. They also organise challenges to encourage school children to read more. I must confess that this family misses all that a lot! We can’t wait for a bit more normality to have those back!!! Ahhh! Before I forget! The Library is just right next to the Community Centre and a wee Play Park. It adds up to a lovely outing … and it’s for free! 

We have to walk a wee further now, or shall we take the bus? Be careful! Remember the traffic might come in the opposite direction you’re used to! And if we’re lucky we might get a double-decker! 

(As the next – and last – stop in our walk around Ralston is a very exciting one, I’ll devote the whole next post to it! To be continued …)

To you now! Where in the world are you? What are the highlights of your neighbourhood? 

Can you think of a friend who would enjoy reading a little bit of  English each week? Please ask them to join our Newsletter here! There’s lots more to come!

Thanks a million for being here! It does mean a lot! Until next week, make sure your bilingual brain stays active! See you soon! 🙂