Meet Mr Glasgow
(Fish: Glasgow, Scotland)
Finally, the dream is realised! I have been attempting to procure a few goldfish for some time – well, in fact I was searching for a tank for much longer than I was the fish to stock it with. On Monday, I went to the best aquarium shop I know; the almost irresponsibly titled ‘Neon Gecko’ on the periphery of the Barras. The Barras is an almost ancient market area, one of the last festering strongholds of the true downtown Glasgow market. It too will fade in a few years, as it has been doing for decades. I wish I had seen it thirty years ago, or fifty, or eighty. Now it is a shadow of what it must formerly have been; bustling, uproarious, popular and gritty.
Anyway, when I told people I was heading to the Barras to buy live fish, they were skeptical of quality, but having visited a couple of other pet shops on Monday, I can say with certainty that the one I chose is stunning in comparison. Half day closing prevented me from getting into the shop, so in passing the other shabbier, sadder shops, I decided to wait. One of the shops contained a tank in which more than one fantailed inhabitant was floating like a cork, belly up. Not an ideal desktop companion for my studio, one feels. Joy very kindly drove me out there since the walk was so long the day before – this made transit much easier on the way home too. I always worry that I will trip and burst the bags of fish on the pavement, leaving me covered in a blend of pondwater and salt tears. Luckily, this was avoided.
I opted for the cheap options (surprise surprise) and chose six very tiny zebra danios (one of them can be seen on the right) and three quite small, but handsome rich, coppery goldfish. The goldfish are named (as always) with ridiculous names; Mr Glasgow (as seen n this image), Rabbie Jean and Barra-cuda. They are all loosely inspired by the Barras. I seem to recall the aquarium shop being called Barra-Cuda at one time – a fantastic pun that I appreciated each time I passed – hence that name. There is a man named Rabbie who makes custom made denims in the Barras, hence Rabbie Jean, and I think Mr Glasgow is pretty self explanatory. I delight in giving any animal a silly name. My best was a chubby silver fish with flecks of gold called ‘Spandex DFS Jackson III.’
My rationale for keeping fish again after some years of fishlessness is simply that I miss them. I think when Ying lived here in Glasgow and Mr Nice lived with me here in the flat, I was never lonely – one of them was always around; Mr Nice was often working in the flat too. My current flatmates are rarely in the flat for any length of time, and even less available for chit chat, so I have created a healthy diversion in with the fishtank. Worry not, I don’t intend to chat to them, but just having them around will alleviate some of the restlessness during working and will encourage me to sit at my desk. I am very pleased. They are beautiful.
– Today Rosie is tending to her new fish and visiting her Gran in Glasgow, Scotland –
