The term "old country" doesn't mean what it used to when referring to England and Scotland from a North American perspective. In fact, I haven't heard the term used in many years.
It was a pleasure to spend almost two weeks with nephews James and Andrew on a visit to England and Scotland. (See more photos by clicking on the DavidzPix link on the right) The weather was decent the whole time we were there, and even the rare period of rain was appreciated. The humidity in the greater London area was almost suffocating at times, but it was a welcome relief to get back to our base at Kingston Upon Thames. We were hosted by my sister-in-law's relatives Janet and Roy, who were so hospitable and a delight to be around. Imagine sitting on a porch overlooking the River Thames, watching boats of all shapes and sizes (not too big) plying this stretch of water near Hampton Court Palace.
The busyness of London was exciting, yet a bit overwhelming at times. With millions of people all about us, we managed to get around - up and down escalators, on and off the underground trains, along passageways and stairs - to see some of the popular sights: Tower of London; Westminster Abbey, where we got to attend an evening service surrounded by the final resting places of many regal and common folk; Big Ben and Parliament; and Abbey Road to walk across the zebra crossing where The Beatles once stood for their famous pose.
An express train took us from Kings Cross Station (was that Platform 9 3/4 ?) to Glasgow Central Station in just under 5 1/2 hours. off the train and the first thing we saw was men walking about in kilts. I told my nephews we were going to pick up our kilts just around the corner. From there we hired a car and drove out of Glasgow to Rowardennan Lodge on the banks of Loch Lomond.
On our way to Stirling the next morning, the car hit a jagged kerb and blew out the two left-side tyres near a tiny place called Buchanan Smithy. We were told 12 other cars in the past two months had exactly the same thing happen at the spot we hit. It then took almost two hours for a tow truck to pick us up and whisk us off to Stirling to have the tyres replaced - no charge.
Meanwhile, we arrived at Stirling Castle to meet my 3rd cousin Murray and wife Ladora for lunch. They were over in "the old country" from Nova Scotia, so we simply had to get together before they left the next day for home.
For the next seven days the three of us made our way around central Scotland, visiting my father's cousins Gladys, Mary, Aileen and Chic, and a couple of long-time family friends Bob &Margaret and Tom &Anne.
Doune is the place where my brother and I were born, as well as my father and his father and other relatives. For the first time in 50 years I sat in the very house where I was born. The present owner graciously invited us in and was pleased to finally meet someone from the time the house was built for my parents. We also visited the home of my maternal grandmother's parents, built in the 1600s.
Cowie. Dunfermline. Perth. A few wee places here and there. Bannockburn and Kilmadock cemeteries. We stayed at Stirling University student residences, in a five-bedroom flat, which was very quiet and a beautiful setting for our base. The best fish and chips can be found at the Allan Water Cafe in Bridge of Allan. How do I know they are the best? We ate there once and enjoyed it, then ate somewhere else and it wasn't as good. So the Allan Water served our needs on five occasions! We also got to visit my friend Mike from Aberdeen, who drove to meet us at Forfar with his son Sam and son's fiance Sabrina. We went to Arbroath to see the harbour and enjoy some ice cream.
Although my nephews may have heard family stories repeated while visiting people, they did learn about their ancestors and get to see some beautiful countryside. At the same time, I was able to reflect on times spent in the area as a child and reminisce of days when I walked the cobbled streets, listened to the crows in the woods, crossed a 460-year-old stone bridge, ate black pudding and drank Irn Bru, and see places I had not been to in many years. I so appreciate my brother and his wife for making this possible.
