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A grandad is having fun with fame on social media after finishing a 30-year mission to create a map of Scotland from rocks he collected.
Harry Young, from Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire, travelled throughout Scotland to gather the rocks utilized in his mosaic map.
His household framed the paintings and introduced it to Harry for his eighty fifth birthday earlier this month.
The story was shared on social media by his grandson and has been considered greater than 4 million occasions.
The beginner geologist informed BBC Scotland News he has at all times had an curiosity in rocks.
“I always liked going along the beach kicking up stones when I was a boy, and I always had a lucky stone in my pocket,” he mentioned.
After a work colleague on the Clyde River Purification Board introduced him with some distinctive stones, he joined the (*30*) Amateur Geology Society.
And it was then that his concept of making a map took place.
“I’d never seen it done, so I just started collecting area by area,” he continued.
“At that time I was travelling all over for work so I just collected as I went.
“Every rock you see on that map I went to that place and picked up it.”
Harry started making the map in 1992 and added the final piece in 2020.
He said there were hundreds of rocks on the map and some areas like the Highlands have several layers to create texture.
He added: “The final place to go was the Western Isles, so I went on a journey and informed everybody to look out for the particular black and white rock I used to be after.
“I wanted it to look nice, to look aesthetically pleasing shall we say.”
Despite the pastime taking him throughout Scotland, Harry mentioned his favorite discover, an amethyst, was discovered “just a stone’s throw away” from his residence.
Speaking about his new discovered fame, Harry mentioned: “My grandson said he was going to put it out on Twitter but I told him not to bother unless it was going to go viral.
“And then it occurred. I’m not on Facebook or Twitter so the entire thing appears utterly absurd.
“The newspapers are saying ‘Harry is a rock star’, imagine getting to 85 and being described as a rock star, it is incredible.”
Harry mentioned whereas the vast majority of the suggestions has been nice, he has obtained some criticism for failing to incorporate Orkney and Shetland.
He mentioned he may tackle that problem for his subsequent mission.
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