Category: Scotland

Sunday, May 5 was a bit more relaxed. After our late night, we had a leisurely morning with French toast and bacon accompanied with coffee by Andrew.  Michael received a personal performance by Isobel  on the piano, but no recording of that sadly.  We later received a recording of Mae playing the cello which I have included below.  Music is a wonderful part of their family and home. 

Alice had a football match at 1pm, so we all headed to the field to cheer her and her team on. It was perfect weather for football – cool and overcast but no rain. But apparently not cool by local Scottish standards – it was warm enough to call for an extra water break half way through the second half! Alice apparently played ‘ok’, although we thought she did very well. The previous week she had won player of the game for her team – so perhaps we threw her off her game as she didn’t win this week.

Then off for ice cream where we encountered long lines as apparently it was a ‘hot’ day! I passed on the Irn-Bru sorbet, but did give it a sample – tasted just like ‘girders’!
Mike and I took the family out for a last night dinner at a local restaurant – the Old Aberlady Inn. We avoided Chinese or Indian style food to ensure that we wouldn’t have to share plates – apparently not something preferred by someone not to be named!

[Show slideshow]

Our day started with a trip to Falkirk to check out the Falkirk wheel with Kate, Andrew, Mae & Isobel. It was overcast just as it was in 2014 when I visited with Mum and the women, but no rain this time! The wheel itself is amazingly impressive in it’s simplicity, functionality and form. Using about the amount of energy to boil a kettle, it vertically moves boats / water weighing 1800 tonnes, over 100 feet replacing 11 locks in a matter of minutes.

Just as with the Kelpies, there is more development around the area, but space is limited so not much more can likely be added. One of the added attractions is the inflatable water balls. Isobel and Mae entertained us all (and many others!) with their acrobatics. 10 minutes is the max time you can stay in them as the oxygen is limited. They were both quite impressive as they were able to get vertical and run inside the balls as well as perform summersaults and tumbles. They were both quite tuckered by the time they were done, and the rest of us had a good belly workout laughing also!

Making the most of our short time in Scotland, Michael and I took the train into Glasgow for a late afternoon / evening visit. From the train station we sauntered around the streets of Glasgow Square before taking the subway up to the university area. We visited the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum but unfortunately the famed painting Christ of St. John of the Cross by Salvadore Dali was out on loan.

We did manage to see the Scottish animals on display, including the infamous haggis! Both Michael and I wondered about the similarity of fishes from the freshwater lakes. Were pike/pickerel/trout all introduced into North America?

From there off to dinner in search of a good Indian meal. Kate had recommended one and we found one of their two locations. We had a very yummy meal and although the dish names were less familiar the dishes themselves were much the same as in Canada. We shared a lamb dish, a vegetable curry, naan and rice.

As in Edinburgh, we saw several ‘hen parties’ with girls who were getting married. There were groups of various sizes and levels of rowdiness. The largest was a stag and doe with funny hats as their signature identification. Next a walk up to the shopping mall and then back to the centre of town by subway after a slight confusion on where the entrance was, but the locals were always helpful. We did manage to find a bottle shop and picked up a bottle of Laphroaig for 38pounds.

Frustratingly, the train back to Edinburgh arrived 1 minute AFTER the connecting train to Longniddry, so we had a coffee as waited and then when we finally arrived we were greeted by both Kate & Eve! Eve could have passed us on the street in Glasgow as we were very near her residence, and I certainly would not have recognized her from 10 years ago.

Back at Chesterhouse it was cocktail night as prepared by Mae. Old fashioneds prepared with scotch were very, perhaps too, yummy! And as Alice’s football match was pushed to 1pm from 9am, we felt no urgency to raise early. So another scotch made for an even later night than before – 2am!

During the evening I had a very connecting chat with Kate & Eve in the kitchen comparing the loss of our mums, family dynamics, birth of our kids – lots of stories and family tales of Christmas, our parents and their characteristics. Amazing how someone you really don’t know very well, haven’t spent your life close to and who lives so far away can have such a connection through shared family. It was a conversation to treasure.

[Show slideshow]

BUSY day! We started with a lovely coffee and scrambled eggs fresh from the hens. And of course, Michael couldn’t resist taking more photos of the property. Kate had taken the day off (thank you Kate!) and we headed to the Kelpies first. They were just as impressive as the visit with Mum, Joanne and Robin 10 years ago when they were brand new. There is much more development around them now, but they are still free to visit (apart from parking). There were other interesting sculptures around, but we didn’t get a photo of the unicorn – sorry Jade!

Next off to visit Uncle Ivan. We had a delightful visit and lunch. He is still living in the home he and Aunt Mary moved to 30 years ago. We hosted us to a very nice lunch at a nearby “slave/ tobacco” baron home which has been converted into a hotel/spa/ restaurant. We shared many memories of Mum and Dad. He had no memory of Eddie Addie (or Kathy Addie), the boy who would not lend his bike to my Mum so that she could learn to ride. But we did learn about Uncle Willie getting Uncle Ivan hooked on smoking. Willie quit by age 20, leaving Ivan addicted by himself (although Mum was on board by then I expect)! Uncle Ivan talked about the psychology of being a prosecutor – or basically the need in any job in order to be successful. In mannerisms and intensity (aka feistiness!) he is very like Mum. The endless miles and years may have separated them, but they were definitely cut from the same cloth.

After an emotional good bye with Uncle Ivan, Kate dropped us at the the train station and Michael and I spend the later afternoon in Edinburgh. We wandered around the old section, the Royal Mile, then over to Princess Street and up to Calton Hill with great views of the city. We also found the ‘Ice Cream Swirl Top’ hotel which was quite architecturally interesting – although the locals refer to it as ‘The Golden Turd’! I managed to pick up a couple of Still Game t-shirts for Joanne & Mark – couldn’t resist! Then a quick dinner at an Italian (Sicilian) pizza joint – very good pizza!

Andrew picked us up at the train station and then back to Chesterhouse where we sat having beers and chatting with Kate, Andrew, Mae and Isobel until 1am! Such a nice time – we can only hope for one or more of them to come to Canada some day so that we can repay the hospitality.

[Show slideshow]

May 2, 2024 had our Air Transat flight landing in Glasgow for a brief but heartfelt return to Scotland.

The timing of this trip was dictated by being back for Mum’s 90th birthday, but in the end that was a mute point. Estate work is still outstanding so I may need to deal with some of that remotely, but at least no need for concerns about Mum’s health while away :-(.

After another challenging drive to Pearson airport due to traffic and construction, our flight was perhaps the most uncomfortable in history. So no sleep for either of us by the time we landed at 7:30am! We left Picasso with George and Marucia for the entire time to allow them to know the county better. In the end, they decided it is a place where they will want to settle, so happy they were able to spend time on their own!

We rented a car to head to Kate and Andrews place just outside of Edinburgh in a wonderful estate home. As the car we had requested wasn’t available, we were upgraded to a very swank BMW brand new car – and due to the cost of the vehicle we had to purchase their CDW insurance since our credit card coverage wasn’t sufficient!

We settled in with Kate, Andrew and their 4 lovely daughters – Eve (still away at Uni), Alice, the twins Isobel and Mae and their spaniel Ollie. Their home, Chesterhouse, is a fantastic estate home and is set in an idyllic area with a horse paddock, chicken coop and lovely gardens all around. Andrew spends a lot of his time tending to the lot! Alice was busy studying for her crucial Year 11 exams for English and Maths, and also headed out to her football practice at dinner time, so we didn’t get to chat much with her yet. Isobel, the quieter of the twins, is working on her grade 5 piano. Mae plays the cello and is more outgoing. Both are lovely and we had great dinner discussions about travel and interests. Kate made a very yummy dinner of cottage pie with cheese on top, veggies and a fresh rhubarb crisp for dessert with cream or custard. Kate works for a financial firm in IT and although back in the office post covid, she had managed to work from home so was able to meet us when we arrived. Andy is also in IT and works strictly from home.

[Show slideshow]