Oor Alba Blog

Car hire, picked up at GLA, manual transmission !!!

2012-02-01T17:16:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I posted to OorAlbaBlog, and for that I am sorry. However, my situation has changed and hopefully, prayerfully, that will encourage me to be more disciplined in my blogging.

As readers know, we in the USA drive on the wrong side of the road. The steering wheel is also on the wrong side. Still, we have adapted. When we (J and I) were last in Scotland, which was too long ago (2010)and we miss her and our friends terribly, we hired a car from GLA (Glasgow Internation Airport) that I was to pickup. From there I would drive the auto back to the home of Pastor Marshall Cross (of New Hope Church), in Wishaw, and his wife Michelle. Pastor Cross was kind enough to convey me to the airport and wait while I conducted business at the care hire kiosk.

When it was my turn in the queue, I asked if the auto was an automatic transmission. I was told, politely, "No sir, it's a manual, just as specified in the contract. You did not request an automatic transmission." My response was "Well won't that be interesting." "Have you never driven a manual transmission, sir?" I was asked. "Yes", I replied, "but it's been a few years and it was never on the left side of the road, while sitting on the right side of the vehicle, and shifting with my left hand."

There were no other vehicles available so I completed the paperwork, went outside and explained the situation to Pastor Cross. I pleaded with him to avoid hills if at all possible during the drive back to his home. Not being familiar with the area I am unsure to this day if the route was a short cut of any sort, or the long way around, but we made it back with no incidents.

The next day my wife and I set out to drive to Tarbert, via Helensburgh. There we stayed overnight in caravan (arranged by Iris and Graham Terry, proprietors of Bluebell Cottage) prior to taking the CalMac ferry to Islay the next morning.

Jacqueline has told me I did a fine job of driving. What I remember is how mentally demanding it was to pay attention to the driving rather than the beautiful scenery. It's a wonder we did not end up in Loch Long as we drove along the A814 which seemed not much wider than our wee car. Here's a link to a short Youtube Video of Arrochar, which we passed through just before turning onto the A83.

Until next post, SLÀINTE.

A bheil Gàidhlig agaibh.

2011-11-21T18:50:00.010-05:00

Tha, beagan !!!

Interpretation: Do you speak Gaelic? Yes, a little.

Actually, in Gàidhealtachd (Gaeldom), because the language is not separate from their culture, they refer to "having the Gaelic" rather than "speaking the Gaelic". Therefore, the question "a bheil Gàidhlig agaibh" rather literally means "The Gaelic at you" or "Do you have Gaelic?" Another interesting bit is that the words themselves, rather than a voice inflection, indicate declarative, or inquiry.

A few weeks ago I began a journey that, unless I am greatly blessed and exceed expectations, will take 4 years; studying Gaelic at Acadamaigh Gàidhlig an Atlantaig. It is my dream/goal to live on one of the Hebrides in a Gàidhlig community.

Eventually I will be able to read the Gaelic Bible that I own, sent to me by Eaglais Chaluim Chille, (St Columba Church) in Glaschu. Glè mhath !!! Here is a link to their facebook page. Sadly, I do not believe the church has a website.

The final days of The Notebook

2011-10-10T18:12:00.016-04:00

The following were originally two separate e-mails to friends/family but in the interest of closing this out, I posted them together; with some editing for clarity. I hope you enjoy reading them, and please leave a comment.

Starting at Jul 25th ...

Trips to Ayr, Gourock, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other places she has been. Usually to visit. But sometimes to shop.

On July 25th she tried to travel to Loch Lomond but missed the train by 10 min. So, headed to Gourock and "saw the fleet" including the HMS Illustrious (an aircraft carrier) that she described as "marvellous".

July 30 back to Dun Eideann for the day with Mary where they "had our first good cup of coffee in a restaurant." I must say that I prefer strong coffee and much of the coffee I've had in Scotland was rather on the weak side.

This day's entry also mentions meeting Peggy Bell at the Waverly Steps to go to ... with her for a few days. But I cannot determine the name of the place. It looks like reflall but it's not capitalized and google searches, map examination in the area of North Berwick, where she spent the next day, are not shedding any light on the destination.

Jul 31 spent the day at North Berwick

Aug 1 to Broxburn to shop with Peggy then boarded a bus for Davie's at 9:30

Aug 2 visit cousin Joe Robson in Ruchill. It appears
Ruchill is a community in Glaschu. Joe and his wife, Sophie, had a son named Jim who was serving in the RAF and stationed in Canada.

Aug 3 went with Archie and family to visit their Aunt Minnie in Rutherglen (I can "hear" in my mind the voice on the trains I took telling passengers the train made a stop at Rutherglen)

August 4th tried again for Loch Lomond but no busses; bank holiday !!!

Aug 5th .. FINALLY made it to Loch Lomond via train but missed the return train so had to take a bus. Saw lots of bomb damage at Clydebank (ship building area).

Aug 6th ,,, Glasgow again, another movie !!!

August 7 - Aug 13 were the last few days of Gram's trip. I felt a sense of sadness reading them, remembering how I felt when it was time to leave. The difference being that Gram seemed eager to return to "the dear old U.S.A." Except for Jacqueline, and The Ghillie (who I can hear slurping water from his bowl) there is nothing here so dear I feel a need to return. On the other hand, Gram was seeing a Scotland still very much effected by WW II.

Aug 7

Gram and Rhoda travelled to Largs .

Aug 8

Uptown with Ida, got "Mr Wileys" (?) birth certificate. Mary arrived from England.

Aug 9

Travelled to American Consulate, in Glasgow, with Mary, and Elsie, but it was closed. Went to Cook's Travel Agency to "see about Elsie's coming to America."

Aug 10

Went to church, with Davie, and heard a sermon by Rev Angus Gray from Inverary. I found the following when I googled for his name. It is excerpted from

*The Gaelic Place names of Glen Aray + Inverary:*

The Historical and Linguistic background

The death of Gaelic has meant that there is longer any need for a minister to preach in that language. In 1929, the Free Church of Scotland and the Church of Scotland were united after nearly 90 years apart, and this meant great changes in the parish of Glen Aray and Inverary. The Gaelic charge had been vacant for some years by this time, and the 2 ministers who were in the town demitted their charge, and 1 minister took over the united charge. This was the Rev Angus Grey and under him, Gaelic services continued on a regular basis. He was translated to St James, Edinburgh in 1949. His successor was the Rev Donald MacKenzie, who has been the last Gaelic speaking minister of the parish to date. He was translated to the Barony Church, Auchterarder in 1966. He has been followed in the ministry by 3 ministers since then, the Rev David Kellas, the Rev Alexander Sommerville and most recently, by the Rev John MacQuilken.

Aug 11

"Flying trip" (quick?) to Glaschu, American Consulate, with Elsie. Was told there will be "no waiting for a British subject to get to America." Left Coatbridge at 05:45 from Sunnyside Station. Seeing her off were Archie, Betty, Ellen, Rhoda, Elsie, Minnie. Davy, Isa and Mary accompanied her to Dun Eideann (Edinburgh). Many friends from Cowdenbeath saw her off to London at 9:30PM.

Aug 12

Arrived London 06:45. Room was not ready so they (she was apparently travelling with someone but does not name the person. Was it Mary?) were made comfortable in the lobby until the room was ready. Then it was nap-time.

Following the name was Madame Toussad's Wax Museum ("it is wonderful"),
Regent's Park , Albert Memorial, and Kennsington Gardens. She wrote "there has been a lot of bomb damage in this part of London."

Aug 13 (her last day)

"Had a wonderful night's sleep on an innerspring mattress." Yes, she underlined the innerspring mattress !!!! Apparently that was quite a treat.

This was her last day. The flight "back to the dear old U.S.A." was to leave at midnight. She wrote that she had "an awful long wait but there is still lots to be seen. Have to fill in the time."

And with that sentence she ended The Notebook. There are other notes, such as addresses, etc. but no more narration. I have no doubt I will re-read her words over and over until it's effectively memorized.

She left the USA on Jun 17, 1947 and returned Aug 13. What I would not give to be able to spend that much time in Scotland.

More travel notes from the notebook kept by Gram

2011-10-03T19:24:00.010-04:00

Between Jun 28th and Jul 24th, Gram travelled quite bit back and forth, visting and shopping and site seeing: Coatbridge, Ayr, Dunfermline (near Edinburgh), Edinburgh, Burntisland (near Edinburgh), Glasgow, Cowdenbeath (near Edinburgh). She seemed to rreeaallyy like movies and other events such as vaudeville. Or perhaps her hosts like them and dragged Gram to the shows?

Regardless, a few highlights, one of which required quite a bit of digging; thank God for google and a large map of Scotland.

Jul 1: two hours in a ration line with very little to show for the time.

Yikes, I have lots to show for less than half that time in a Hannaford.

Jul 3rd: Shopping in Glasgow. Did not buy. Not impressed by quality or price.

Jul 11: woke with a terrific headache but had her migraine pills.

I know what that's like. Sorry to read she suffered from that affliction.

Jul 12: she mentioned being "shocked to hear about the accident involving Linda Lockridge" but provides no further information.

This next entry required a bit of googling, poring over the map, and knowledge of The Gaelic.

Jul 15: "started out early to go for a sail to Tinabrouch on the Marchoness of Graham"

A google for Marchoness of Graham revealed many pages about a vessel called the Marchioness of Graham. Here is a link to a video of her being launched. Marchioness of Graham launch. If you google for the name you can read much more information including Clyde steamers. I have sent an email to the webmaster, asking him to confirm the next bit of information.

I could not find a reference to a place called Tinabrouch or any of my creative variations of Grams writing. So, I researched the area that the Marchioness covered, sat in front of our wall-mounted 3ft x 4ft map of Alba (Scotland) and began a sweep in ever widening circles around Ayr looking for something that might have been Tinabrouch. Only about 15 miles from An Tairbeart where J and I have stayed during our trips to Islay, I found a place called Tighnabruaich I believe Tinabrouch is Gram's Anglicized spelling of the Gaelic name. Perhaps she feared a descendant would never make any sense of Tighnabruaich? In any case, as I mentioned, I sent an email to the webmaster of the 'steamer site" asking if Gram could indeed have sailed from Ayr (or nearby) to Tighnabruaich.

Jul 19: train to Dun Eideann (Edinburgh)

She disembarked (minding the gap when alighting from the train) at Waverly Station. Been there, done that. Very cool. She shopped on High Street seeking a set o' the pipes. But the cost was too dear. She did purchase a sporran, glengarry and some books which she had shipped to Ellen (I assume Aunt Ellen?).

She even saw the Royal Family. Not that I am impressed but she certainly was. She also visited Princes Street Garden. I am not much on gardens but Princes Street Garden is stunning !!! I attached a picture that I took of the garden. Grass very green in May !!!

July 24: left Dun Eideann, headed back to Coatbridge.

Time for me to sign off. More to come.

Note: by the time I posted this to the blog, from my email, I received email from the webmaster (previously mentioned) who confirmed Gram could have taken the Marchioness to Tighnabruaich.

Next few days of The Notebook

2011-09-05T17:54:00.005-04:00

It turns out that Gram also stopped in Motherwell, and from there took a cab to Coatbridge. I am not sure why this was done; according to online information the Central Station was built early in the 1900s. Regardless, she took a cab from Motherwelll to Coatbridge, where she stayed with Davie on Manse Street(?). On the 23rd she received a letter from Grandpa Lane, which delighted her. Later she walked "downtown" and noted it looked very much the same, except for a movie house, The Odean, (still there) near the fountain.

On the 24th, "on the spur of the moment" she and Ida(?) traveled to Ayr to visit Aunt Mick(?), visited the Burns Cottage, and walk along the shore. Prior to leaving, they went downtown to the "food office" (ration board) to acquire her rations. Apparently she received quite a collection of items and was "very much envied". While visiting, Mary/May?, who was still unmarried and living at home came in from work and exclaimed "oh gings, Susie Bryden".

On the 26th she started out for Butlins Holiday Campand also found Dunduff Farm (now a B&B), which apparently Bob Howland was interested in. Finally, Culzean Castle was a destination but it was too late in the day so they headed back to Coatbridge, arriving at 11PM.

More to come.

The Notebook. First impression(s).

2011-08-14T14:05:00.021-04:00

This blog post is what I sent, via e-mail, to relatives after receiving the previously-mentioned journal kept by my maternal grandmother. I have italicized the text.

A few of you know about this but I wanted to share with all. A journal, kept in a notebook by Gram, has been sent to me by my Mom, via Doodle Mama, via Uncle Buddy. The entries begin on Jun 17, 1947, end Aug 12, 1947, and detail her return to Scotland (she left in 1925 ... more than 20 years earlier) to visit when my Mom was a wee girl. I cannot find the words to accurately describe how I feel when I read her writing and what she was thinking about, where she was, what she did, etc. Initial thoughts and observations, some probably "meaningless" to anyone except me:

1. Her writing reminds me of mine; somewhat challenging to read. Of course the ink has faded somewhat over the past 60+ years.

2. She loved the United States, frequently referring to it as "good old" or similar.

3. On July 2, mid-sentence, she stopped using blue ink and began using black. Her penmanship seemed to slightly change as well.

4. On July 4th she visited "the old homestead". Her entry reminds me of a sentence I read in a book called The Highland Clans;"Chaneil nith an seo man a bha e" (there is nothing here now as it was).

5. There were places/sites she wanted to see, and she did a lot of walking around and exploring in addition. I did the same during my visits.

6. She was on a train, with brother Dave, and saw two soldiers home on leave from India. They were headed to Motherwell; during my Dec 2009/Jan 2010 trip I spent a lot of time at the Motherwell train station. It holds a special place in my heart.

7. She did not mince words and wrote down some of the negative experiences, as well. Hard beds, bad food, paying 2 shillings for a magazine that turned out to be almost 1 year old ("was I mad").

8. On Jun 20, 1947 the first sentence is a birthday greeting to my Mother.

Anywho, I shall end with that entry. If anyone cares, I'll share more as I continue to read it.

The Notebook

2011-07-18T16:55:00.000-04:00

Some time ago, after my January 2011 entry, I was given a treasure I did not know existed. A journal kept by maternal grandmother, Susan Robson Bryden, when she returned to Scotland (via England) to visit between June 17, 1947 and August 13, 1947.

She had been away for more than 20 years. World War II had come and gone, but some of the places she saw still showed the signs of German bombing, and Scotland was still rationing food and clothing. According to page 176 of Scottish Customs: from the Cradle to the Grave, rationing was strictly enforced into the 1950s.

Grandma Bryden left Scotland a young woman. When she returned to visit she had 7children including my mother, the youngest. Mom turned 6 years old 3 days into my Gran's visit; Grandma Bryden even wrote "Happy Birthday Honey" in the journal.

As I pored over the journal, trying to read her writing which is now more than 60 years old, some of the ink faded, I marvelled at the number of places she visited, or mentioned, that I have seen. I felt a sense of sadness at the places she visited that I had wanted to visit during my visits but for various reasons were never reached. Perhaps/definately next time.

It took me some time to read all of the journal, because some sentences needed re-reading, and more than once I "googled" for information about some of the places she visited. I even used what little of the Gaelic I possess in order to find a place she mentioned but she wrote its name in a sort of English.

Over the weeks I read the journal I sent my thoughts, via email, to relatives and friends who I thought might want to follow along. I have been encouraged to copy/paste my emails to this blog so that others can also read what I had to say. Therefore, the next few entries will be devoted to The Notebook. Then I'll share another treasure, that I did know existed, I received from Scotland.

Until then, may the best you've ever seen be the worst you'll ever know.

Ceart ma tha (right then) ... Loon Mt NH, USA Highland Games 2010

2011-01-25T17:17:00.001-05:00

Once again I find myself apologizing for a long delay in blogging. I have no valid reason, only excuse(s), but have been keeping a list of subjects about which to blog. So, let me resume with the New Hampshire Highland Games, held at Loon Mt, Sept 2010.

Jacqueline was unable to attend the games this year, but rather than stay home alone, actually with The Ghillie, I decided to drive north for a couple of hours on Saturday the 18th of September. It was a bright day, not warm, cold, damp or windy. Ideal as a matter of fact. Or, in The Gaelic Tha i breagha an-diugh (it's a lovely day today).

Being a descendant of Highland, and Lowland, Scots I was keen to see what Border Reiver families (or clan if that word is preferable) would be represented, and to pay a visit to the Clan MacKay tent where Jacqueline had some tablet samples, courtesy Douglas MacKay, available for ... sampling. Sadly I have yet to meet a representative of Clan MacLea/Livingstone at the games I have attended. My cousin Kyle is very much involved in their activity out west, and we (Jacqueline and I) would very much like to do the same here in New England.

Regardless, the border families (clans) were represented with tents and representatives from Bell, Graham, Turnbull, and Johnstone. The Bell's had a rather interesting shirt available; sorry the picture is somewhat skewed; when I resized the image I used absolute width/height rather than percentage; so a portrait orientation was forced into landscape. Sadly, again, I've not ever seen a representative from the infamous Robson family; but I do enjoy sharing what knowledge I have of the Robsons, especially when I meet a Graham.

I spent several minutes chatting with Norman Turnbull, Clan Turnbull's "High Seanachie". Sadly I have no picture of him (I was too busy talking to him) but he gave to me a picture of the statue of Rob Roy MacGregor located at Culter Burn, Peterculter, Aberdeen, Scotland. Here's a link to information about the statue. The picture is now hanging in our home office, which is more like a "Scotland room" at this point in time.

Finally, all the way from the Netherlands was a group of Malt Whisky drinkers, visiting a friend in the USA, who posed for a picture.

Next time we will be returning to Ile (Islay). Until then may the best you've ever seen be the worst you'll ever see.

Maine (USA) Highland Games

2010-08-25T14:48:00.000-04:00

Jacqueline and I drove a wee bit north this past Saturday to attend the Maine Highland Games..

We met Douglas MacKay from Clan MacKay and had a very pleasant visit with him, during which he inquired about tablet made by Jacqueline. There were Johnston(e) and Maxwell border reivers in attendance as well as several other clans, and families, but (sadly) no MacLea/Livingstones.

One of the interesting facts I discovered while perusing the Maine Highland Games website, and following associated links is: "U.S. Census Data (2000) confirms that Maine has, per capita, the highest percentage of Scots descendants in the entire USA, and ranks third in the country for Scots-Irish descendants." For more information on the Maine Ulster Scots visit their website.

Finally, we saw some women "working" tweed, while singing waulking songs. I was able to take a photo of their song book, and yes, they knew the traditional fixing element for the tweed !!!

Until next time .... Slainte !!!

Oor Alba Blog "header" with background picture

2010-07-26T21:07:00.001-04:00

This post has nothing to do with Scotland per se (except that the picture was taken on the road between Ardbeg, and the Kildalton Cross) but if anyone is reading this blog, does the new banner, with the picture as background for text, "work"? As much as I like the picture I believe the text is too difficult to read. Comments appreciated.

ETA: reader response was that the "blue bells" banner was attractive but difficult to read. It has been replaced with the above picture of Loch Fynne, taken in Inverary.

Susan Robson Bryden (Lane)

2010-07-09T19:23:00.000-04:00

This entry is dedicated to a woman I do not remember: my Grandmother. It's also dedicated to my mother, my Aunt "Doodle Mama" Edie, and mo bhean (my wife) Jacqueline for their support and encouragement.

My maternal grandmother, Susan Robson Bryden, born 1906 in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland, left Scotland at the age of 18, bound for Canada; to be (so I've been told) a domestic (indentured?) servant. From Canada she eventually moved to the United States where she met and married my grandfather, John C. Lane. Sadly, for me, she died when I was still a wee lad. But, as the embedded picture shows, she knew me.

During my Hogmanay 2009 trip to Alba I was blessed to be able to walk the street(s) that she would have walked in Coatbridge, and I was even guided to Buchanan Street, which is where she lived. Based on street number, I believe and residents of the area confirmed, the section of Buchanan Street where she lived is now the site of The Time Capsule, a public pool. It was suggested I take a bus to Airdrie and visit the library where I would find photographs of Coatbridge as it looked during my Grandmother's child hood. I took several pictures, for my own sense of history and connection, and have posted one of them, Buchanan Street circa 1967; I hope I am not stepping on copy-rights.

During our 2010 Feis Ile trip, I had hoped to visit Gourock,and Greenock.I could not explain why I wanted to visit those towns but for some reason they were calling. Regretably we did not visit either of those locations because it was suggested that we visit Stirling that day. I later learned why those towns were calling; it's probable Susan Robson Bryden left Scotland on a boat that left from either Gourock, or Greenock. I still hear them calling and hope to be able to access, on-line, any information that will tell me what ship she took and when she sailed. Then I will make it a goal to visit where she last stood, or at least be in the general area.

Over the years my mother, and her sister Edie (aka "Doodle Mama") have given to me, and my wife, various items that belonged to my Grandmother. Most of the items have been books, but recently were were given a wee butter dish that has a tiny thistle in its clear handle. Granted, none of these items is (probably) worth much money, but to me, they are piceless. I hope someday to meet my Grandmother; God willing, I will.

As promised .. the last few days of Feis Ile 2010 trip

2010-07-01T18:49:00.000-04:00

Mike writing: many apologies for the delay in this entry. As we mentioned in the last entry, dated 31-May, we had a bit of an adventure during the return to the USofA. Since then we've been busy and I was completely remiss in my obligations to readers of Oor Alba Blog; on the plus side I have been making a list of blog subjects that will keep me busy, and you reading, until our next only-God-knows-when trip home.

We left Islay on Saturday the 29th at approximately 2PM, via the ferry from Port Askaig. We wanted to leave from that port as the ferry passes by Dunlossit House and McArthur's Head Lighthouse. But between waking, packing, loading the car and boarding the ferry we had some time.

The first place we (re)visited was The Spar, in Bridgeend where we bought a wee book about Gaelic to add to our growing collection, and hopefully assist us in our goal of learning the language. Then we were off to Finlaggan, specifically to ask for information regarding Mulreesh, a now abandoned settlement that was in the Finlaggan area. We were provided some assistance and off we drove. Eventually though we encountered a gate, and rather than open it, drive through, close it and continue, I executed a 40 point turn in the one-track road and we headed back to the main road.

Back at the main road we decided to visit Caol Ila distillery but it was closed; I had completely forgotten the day was Saturday. So, we sat there for a while, chatting, writing, eating some snacks, and taking more pictures of The Paps of Jura. Soon enough though it was time to get into line for the ferry so we headed to Port Askaig.

After boarding the ferry, J sought shelter from the rather raw/windy weather in the lounge. I stayed outside taking pics (including even more of The Paps), chatting with other passengers, and waiting to see the lighthouse. Eventually we were back at the Kennecraig terminal and headed to our overnight destination, just a few miles down the road ... a (we believe) God ordained stay at Bluebell Cottage !!! BBC is very modern and our hosts, Iris and Graham Terry, were friendly, and helpful; we highly recommend BBC.

After settling in we asked about a place to eat and the West Loch Hotel was suggested. Graham called ahead and was told that if we "come right over we'll seat them in the back bar." Well we headed right over, were seated, and had a lovely meal, and conversation with 3 locals who were sitting at a table next to us. If they are reading this we thank you for making our evening so enjoyable and memorable.

The next day, after a great breakfast, we packed up and headed back toward Glasgow (where we would be staying with our friends Gordon and Margaret Campbell in Duntocher), stopping for petrol in Tarbert. As an FYI for our state-side readers, we paid almost 1pnd 30pence for a liter of petrol. There are 4 liters per gallon. Assuming a pound is worth about $1.50, you do the math. Yes, more than $6.00 per gallon !!! True to my form I spent several minutes chatting with folks I met in the station. I cannot express how much I love being in Scotland and talking to anyone who will talk to me. Then ,,, we were off.

It was about noonish that we arrived in Inverary and I wanted to visit the Loch Fyne Whiskies store, but we had to wait until 12:30. See the picture of the sign; I love it. Inside the shop I found a wee bottle of Inverleven that I purchased. Despite my love for Islay whisky I am also a fan of Lowland (go figure, eh?) and I keep a list of lowland in my wallet so I know what I am looking for whenever I have a chance to shop. With only a few minutes to spare on the parking meter we departed Inverary.

Arriving safely at Gordon and Margaret's in Duntocher, we visited for a while and then Gordon and I returned the car hire to the airport. Then we (Jacqueline and I) were treated to a dinner-out at a Chinese Restaurant, followed by a a few drams and conversation at the Campbell's home, until it was time to sleep. The next day we rose early, ate breakfast, packed and were conveyed to GLA. And you know what happened there.

God only knows when, or if, I or we, will ever make it back to Scotland. We pray that it will be so. We pray for an opportunity to live there, at least for a short time. One of the greatest blessings of our trip(s) is the friends we have made. We hope someday to be able to return the favor of hospitality if any of them visit the USofA.

God's blessings and peace to all we have met and who provided places to stay, advice, and more.

Left Alba, arrived USA, thanks to ...

2010-05-31T21:21:00.000-04:00

For the past few days we have been without internet access as we made our way back from Islay to the USA. It's almost 9:30PM on May 31, 2010 and we have been back at oor wee cottage for about 2 hours.

The flight back was an adventure that began when we learned, at GLA, that our 10:40AM flight to Heathrow was cancelled !!! However, we were soon booked onto a 10:00AM flight into London's Gatwick airport and from there we took a bus to Heathrow and caught our connection as it was boarding.

My (Mike) next post will be about the last few days of our trip. Subsequent posts will be further thoughts regarding some of what we saw and did, or hope to see and do in the future. After that ??? So ... come back soon.

Thanks to our families and friends (on both sides of the Atlantic) that encouraged, hosted, and supported us.

Friday night 8:45PM entry

2010-05-28T15:42:00.000-04:00

This will probably be the final entry during the trip. We leave Islay tomorrow and between then and Monday night, when we are back in the states, we do not anticipate any ability to be "on line". However, we will post more entries following our arrival back in the USA. We have been very busy up until very late at night, and as explained earlier we must access the wifi at a local pub. So, that's why our blog postings have not been as frequent as we would have preferred.

Briefly, these are the events of the past few days:

Wednesday:
We drove to Kilnave/Loch Gruinart, the site of the Kilnave Cross and the battle of Traigh Ghruineard in 1598. Traigh Ghruineard was the last major clan battle on Islay. There is much more to it (and I will post more in the future) but here is a summary: One side killed the clan chief of the other, then sought refuge in a chapel. The now-chiefless clan burned the chapel. The site is also known for its cross which is beautiful in its own right but perhaps not as well known as the Kildalton cross. Later that day we attended a Gaelic Concert in Bowmore. The performers sang, danced and play various instruments such as accordion, pipes, and clarsach (Gaelic harp).

Thursday:

We started our day by doing laundry. Later that day we visited our friends Maggie and Robin Woodman at Samhchair, then drove down to the "Singing Sands" beach at Kilnaugton Bay. Maggie and Robin were instrumental in making our first visit to Islay a positive experience and we have kept in contact with them over the past year.

A special thrill that day was visiting Neil and Ruth McEachern of Keills, Port Askaig, Islay. We met them when we attended church at Kilmeny, and I had asked if anyone spoke The Gaelic. We were introduced to Neil and his wife. Neil grew up speaking The Gaelic, and was raised in a now abandoned village near Finlaggan, and we received an invitation to visit them in their home. So we did and what a pleasure it was to sit and hear about their lives on Islay and its history. We hope to be able to visit them again, soon, and perhaps speak more Gaelic than simply ciamar a tha sibh?

Friday:

We drove down to Bunnahabhain distillery for their open day and to hear Skerryvore. We collected a free bottle of Black Bottle whisky, took some snaps and had fun. From there we drove to Port Nahaven where we ran into Alan Jenkins, my chess opponent from last year !!! He was kind enough to take a picture of us with Port Wemyss (weems) in the background. Then we stopped at An Gleann which served as the inspiration for Jacqueline's tablet business and followed that up with a long walk to Grimsay, an abandoned village some distance from Port Charlotte.

Well, that's it for now. The 'puter, running on batteries is low and I must be away. Please stay "tuned" as we continue to blog and provide more detail and information about our trip. I have not even been able to keep up with my journal: I am trusting the hundreds of photographs will jog my memory. Some of the better pics that are not blogged will be posted to my website, Flickr or Facebook.

Wed (26th) and Thu (27th)

2010-05-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

This is an early entry for May 26 and 27. We are planning on attending some night time events tomorrow (Wed) and Thursday; a Gaelic concert Wednesday in Bogh Mor ... Bowmore, and Clootie Dumpling Ceilidh in Port nah Abhainne ... Port Nahaven on Thursday so we might not have another blog entry until Friday night. Friday is our last full day on Islay before we return to Tarbert on the mainland, then to Glasgow and back to the USofA.

Meanwhile the weather has been very good most of the time. Breezy but sunny and cool.

Eilean Dhiura

2010-05-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 17:30 hours

Today we took the ferry Eilean Dhiura (Island of Jura) to ... the Isle of Jura !!! From Port Askaig it's only about a 15 minute ride. After you drive off the ferry your options are limited as there is only one primary road. There are some "off shoots" but for all intents and purposes your drive will be along a twisting-turning, upsee-downsee, most-of-the-time-one-track, and occasionally very rough road. We passed many folk riding bicycles, and a fair number of walkers, but I think you need to have much time and be in phenomenal physical condition to last more than a wee while.

The road is more than 30 miles long and runs along the coast through, or past settlements and wee villages, ruins many years old and some not so old. It's difficult to describe the landscape and a picture taken without a proper wide-angle lens cannot accurately depict what it's like to drive down a road that seems to be "in the middle of nowhere" and when you least expect it there is a house (new or old) or even a small group of houses, or a working farm, Many of these are situated
quite close to the water. Many more ruins, iron age and other, are accessible only by walking some distance.

I chatted with one native (he says he "belongs to Jura") that was training for a foot race that runs up/down several hills including The Paps and is about 17 miles. He says it takes him about 5 hours to do the course. He is a fisherman (I think he said the only one) and told me about a diver who gathers scallops. Others work for one of the several estates that own most of the land, or they work for the hotel. The population numbers only about 200 folk so you can see that much of the land is unoccupied.

We had lunch at a very nice bistro called "The Antlers". Jacqueline had a seafood bisque because there was no more Cullen Skink, and I had a venison burger. Dessert was Tablet Ice Cream and it was very good !!! We hope to get back to the Ardbeg distillery Old Kiln Cafe later this week for some Cullen Skink (Gordon rates theirs a "10") and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

I think that Jura, much like Islay, would require several trips in order to see most of the sites there are to see. I know that I am becoming more and more interested in walking out to many of the more remote, but historic, sites on both islands. This surprises me because I thought this trip would probably be my last to Islay. We shall see.

Shopping, Laphroaig, The Oa and Monument

2010-05-25T14:14:00.000-04:00

Mike here ...

Another entry written, and posted, some time after the events. In this case I am writing at 08:00 Tuesday the 25th about yesterday, Monday the 24th. I had hoped to post Sunday last night but we were visiting friends and did not return to our flat until it was dark ... about 10:30PM and that was too late to visit the Ballygrant Inn to access their wi-fi.

Yesterday we headed into Bowmore to do laundry, a bit of grocery shopping and visit the bank. From there we would head to Laphroaig to pick up our "rent" (a free wee bottle of whisky) then on to The Oa and see the American Monument. Interestingly we visited Laphroaig,and the monument last year on a Monday.

Unfortunately the laundry is closed on Monday so we had to wash a few items by hand. The bank was a better experience; we walked into the bank and the young lady at the teller booth asked me "Back for another visit to Islay?". She remembered me from last year!!! We chatted about our trip, and the weather.Her husband is from Wishaw, and she told us that this past winter they were stuck at their home when the snow packed to ice and there was no ability to remove it so they waited for it to melt. From there we headed to the Co-op, a grocery store, to buy some needed items. The store is tiny compared to the typical store in the states and the aisle signs are in The Gaelic (first) followed by English. If I recall correctly, an interesting thing about some Gaelic words is there was/is no such word originally so the Gaelic word used is essentially the English word spelled in correct Gaelic grammar.

Groceries packed into the boot of oor wee car we headed to Laphroaig where Jacqueline was greeted by John Campbell, the distillery manager who said "You are the lady who sent the tablet to me?" They chatted for some time and were eventually joined by Simon Brooking, Master Ambassador for Beam Global. Eventually we entered the Visitor Centre to receive our rent and then we were off to The Oa (pronounced "Oh") and American Monument. Last year when we visited the Monument it was windy, gray and overcast so the pictures we took have a gray haze in the background. This day started as the same but the ckouds and haze cleared and it was spectacular, although very windy.

Following that we headed to Kintra (Kentraw) Farm to see if I could determine the location of some old ruined villages. We chatted with a young man who rode past on a bicycle who told us that the return (round trip) walk to the ruins takes about 3 hours. As we were planning to visit friends at Samhchair in 2 hours that walk was not going to happen. During our visit at Samhchair I asked about the walk and was provided a guide book but per the book, and Maggie who is familiar with the walk, it's not well marked, is rough and isolated, long (more than 5 miles, and about 4 hours time, return trip) and the area prone to sudden changes in weather. So, despite my desire to see the ruins it's not likely to happen this time round. I will have to plan it for another time and do it with someone who is familiar
with the area.

Today we hope/plan to take the ferry from Port Askaig over to the Isle of Jura ... about a 15 minute ride. That should be fun !!!

Church in Kilmeny, Bruichladdich Open Day

2010-05-25T13:45:00.000-04:00

Mike here ... this being written at about 9:45PM on Sunday the 23rd, but probably not posted until Monday.

We had a busy day which started out with worship at the Kilmeny Parish Church, which dates back to about 1800. After the service we chatted for a while, outside, with a few of the parishioners and we were invited to pay a visit to one of the couples' homes. So, we will make the time for that ... it was a blessing and it is
exactly why we so enjoy Scotland. An added bonus is that The Gaelic is spoken in their home !!!

Following church was open day at the Bruichladdich Distillery, where we had lunch served up by the Nippy Chippy of fish and chips, meatburger (it seems a hamburger is in fact ham), 2 egg/spring rolls, CocaCola and Irn Bru for drinks. After that we met up with Gordon and Margaret Campbell and their friends Norrie and Claire. The weather was nice, but a bit breezy. We took a tour of the distillery, listened to music, watched highland dancing, etc. We also ran into Simon Brooking, who invited us to attend "The Gathering" of Friends of Laphroaig even though we were too late to have our own special commemorative pair of Wellies. So we did that at about
7PM then stayed for a while at the ceilidh afterwards.

When we left the ceilidh, and got into our car we were approached by a young man who asked if we were going to Port Askaig, which is approxinately 20 miles. We told him that we were not going to Port Askaig so he thanked us and began walking away. Jacqueline suggested that we could offer him a ride to Ballygrant which is on the way to Port Askaig. So, I rolled down the window and yelled "Oi, mate, we can take you to Ballygrant if that is helpful." He thanked us and got in. His name is Edward, he is Australian and he is actually staying in the Ballygrant Inn just down the road from us. Not sure why he mentioned Port Askaig ... perhaps because Ballygrant is not as well known as some of the other locations. In any case we were very blessed by his
company for the 30-45 minute drive. If you are wondering how it can take 30-45 minutes to travel less than 20 miles, it's because the roads are Islay roads and unless you are a tourtist there is nae hurry. One thing worth mentioning were the daft sheep that were wandering about in the "low" (there is also a "high road"and they are both on Islay, in Scotland) road. They are not easy to see in fog and at "dusk", but see them I did and I am thankful.

Tomorrow we will spend the morning in (Bogh Mor) Bowmore poking around while we wait for our laundry and go to the bank to convert some $ to pounds. We will also look for a bottle to share with Gordon, Margaret, Norrie, Claire, Maggie and Robin when we visit Samhchair to say "hi". If you've read OorAlbaBlog for long you might remember that last year we stayed at Samhchair, and that is where we met Gordon and Margaret.

Maggie and Robin were our hosts and asked us to visit them next time we were on Islay. Norrie and Claire are friends of Gordon and Margaret, who are becoming friends of ours. It helps that four of us share an appreciation of whisky, and all of us a love of Scotland and its history. Between Bowmore and Samhchair
we plan to revisit the American Monument on The Oa, and try to locate one of the abandoned villages near Kintra. It promises to be another busy day.

A special thanks to Pastor Marshall Cross, Michelle (his wife) and ...

2010-05-22T16:20:00.000-04:00

the members of their church for welcoming us to their home and their fellowship.

We were unable to spend as much time with them as we would have liked, primarily because of the cancelled original flight, but we hope/pray to soon return to Scotland and enjoy their company.

God's blessings on you all !!!!

Drive frae Wishaw, Ferry tae Islay

2010-05-22T15:48:00.000-04:00

Approx 8PM, Sat 22 May 2010

Jacqueline here; just beginning to recover from jet-lag and already missing Michelle and Marshall Cross, our dear friends in Wishaw, near Glasgow. Last night our home-away-from-home was a caravan in a garden near the ferry landing of Kennecraig (near Tarbert). This place had special significance to Michael and me so we knew we were highly blessed. The caravan sat down a gated woodland walkway, amidst shrub groves,
carpeted with bluebells and ferns. A wee brook circled round the back just beyond a daisy-dotted lawn. Our hosts were clearly gardeners, bird and critter lovers with many feeders hanging about where colorful birds flitted and fed; baby bunnies munched on the new grass and we were told to watch for deer in our backyard come morning. Lambs could be heard crying out to their mammas in the pasture beyond the woods. Inside the caravan we relaxed in a sun-drenched sitting room with hot tea
and ginger snaps upon arrival. I could have spent the rest of my days in this
lovely peaceful place but we were up at the crack of dawn today to catch our ferry to Islay.

We met up with Gordon & Margaret Campbell and their friends Norris & Claire who we
visited with throughout the 2 hour cruise. The weather has been fantastic; sunny, warm and clear. Once on Islay, we had lunch at Lagavulin Distillery's Open Day, then re-traced our steps of a year ago by visiting the remains of Kildalton Church with its famous Celtic Cross and ancient cemetary. We drove to Balygrant where our flat is located and now look forward to a good-night's rest and worship at nearby Kilmeney Church of Scotland in the morning, followed by Bruichladdich's Open Day festivities. Till then, cheerio!

Mike here:

I am posting this from the bar in the Ballygrant Inn, which has free wi-fi (I think though they expect you will purchase a dram, or a beer). More than 200 malts available for the tasting. My dram is Bruichladdich Peat because I've never had it and it was reasonably priced. I am "itching" to dram Ardbeg's Lord of the Isles but at more than 20 pounds per, I think I'll pass. J is back at our wee flat resting. It was a long day and she is tired. So am I but I want to update the blog, so here am I.

Yesterday's drive from Wishaw took about 4 hours (of driving time) but the scenery was spectacular; I think. I did not dare take my eyes from the road to look around all that often. I have not driven a manual transmission for some time and shifting with my left, driving on the left, steering wheel on right ... Well, I am grateful the drive was not longer because I was very tired when we arrived at our destination. In about 10 days I'll do it again, but in the other direction !!!

Outside of Glasgow the route I chose is primarily coastal but a significant portion (the A814 along Gare Loch and Loch Long) is rather narrow (not much more than 2 cars wide) and very windy. On one side are cliffs and the other a stone wall, then the Loch. Yikes. I would have liked to take a picture but there are few places to stop and those that exist come up very quickly and then are gone. So, no picture of that section but I did attach a picture of the A83 as it runs West between Arrochar and Loch Fynne. We stopped at a vantage point known as "Rest and Be Thankful". Well, we did and we were !!!

If you care to look at a map and follow the route (assuming I am correctly remembering from memory ... I do have it written down at the flat): M8 through Glasgow to A82 to A814 to A83.

Manual transmissions, Martyrs, Wallace, The Bruce

2010-05-21T02:27:00.000-04:00

07:30 Friday, May 21, 2010

Yesterday we picked up our car hire at the airport so today we can drive to Tarbert and begin the Islay portion of our journey. What fun driving a manual transmission with right hand steering on the left side of the road !!!! God blessed me though and I made it back to Pastor Cross's house intact. It helped, greatly, that Pastor was ahead of me and I was simply following him. Just be sure, Mike, to enter the roundabouts from the left side !!!

Following that adventure we walked to the Wishaw train station, travelled to the Argyll Street station in Glasgow, walked to the Queen Street station and then on to Stirling where we visited the Martyrs monument, "stormed the castle" and paid our respects to Sir William Wallace. Stirling is a beautiful city with steep, narrow roads, olde houses, walls, gardens, etc. We could easily spend a day simply walking around looking at all there is to see.

The Martyrs monument is to remember the deaths, by drowning in the Solway Firth, of two young women who refused to renounce their faith. The castle is very imposing but far too large to take it all in with a picture when standing on the site. Additionally, after walking up the hill I am not sure how much energy anyone would have had left to mount a realistic attack. And if any are curious, no we did not tour the castle; it cost 9 pounds per to do so. Instead we enjoyed some Luxury Scottish Ice Cream and a bus ride (just under 4 pounds each for a return ticket) to kinda-sorta near the Wallace Monument.

Reaching the Wallace Monument required a bus ride to just outside the rear entrance of Stirling University followed by a walk of several hundred yards to the entrance of the monument grounds and then a very steep climb up the hill. Still, the view of the area in which Wallace defeated the English is impressive !!! Equally impressive is that hundreds of years before Wallace smashed the English, the Scots defeated the Picts in the same area.

Well, it's about 8AM and time to finish off this post so we can prepare for the 3-4 hour drive to Tarbert. Oh, by the way, the train back to Wishaw arrived at 10ish PM and it was still somewhat light with a very pretty blue sky.

(Let Us Haste Tae) Kelvin Grove ... bonnie lassie o

2010-05-19T13:04:00.000-04:00

Today we visited Kelvin Grove (museum) which has been a goal for several months after I visited Scotland in December. Gordon Campbell pointed out the museum and suggested I visit it. I told him we have a song called Kelvin Grove on CD. He began to sing the song. When I told Jacqueline about it we decided to visit, and the song has become a romantic favorite of ours. We made the journey via train and underground. Some of the staff were surprised to hear there is a song called Kelvin Grove. But now they know. Following the museum (and grounds, surrounding area visit) we travelled back to Glasgow central to head off toward the other destination for today .... Crown Street.

My cousin Kyle MacLea has researched our family (my father's side) and learned that a Peter McLea lived on Crown Street in a settlement/area of Glasgow known as Hutchesontown, across the River Clyde from Glasgow Green. I told him that I'd make point of walking to that area and taking a picture. Kyle, the attached is for you. Slainte !!!!

Dun Eideann (Edinburgh)

2010-05-19T03:31:00.000-04:00

I spelled the Gaelic for Edinburgh from memory. Apologies if it's incorrect. One of the challenges we are facing is maintaining our personal journals of the trip, this blog, etc. while making certain to "do" what is to our mind the very reason for this trip; spend time with friends, old and new, so that we build relationships. This blog entry is rather "rushed" because we need to start our day so we can return and attend Wed evening church with Pastor Cross and his family. At the service we will meet even more new friends.

It's Wed morn, 19th, about 08:30. Yesterday we travelled to Edinburgh to visit Scott Miller. John Colvin, from Dumfries, joined us. Pastor Cross conveyed us to the train station in Motherwell where we would begin our day of travel. I was keen to see if any of the folks I had chatted with in Dec/Jan would be there. We entered the station and I immediately recognized Andrew and Garry. As soon as I began speaking, Andrew remembered me. Then Garry, standing several feet away, pointed at me and said "It's you !!!". So that was a great start to our journey. The train ride lasted only about 45 minutes and we quickly found Scott, and John, at the Sir Walter Scott Memorial. John attended University in Edinburgh, and is a virtual encyclopedia of information about the history, and places so it was a fascinating and educational day in Edinburgh.

We began oor tour by climbing the almost-300 steps to the top of the monument. From there to Grassmarket, Greyfriars Kirk, Flodden Wall, Martyrs Monument, Netherbow Port, National Museum of Scotland (quickly ... we plan/hope to return and spend at least a day in that one building), Calton Hill, etc. I know not how far we walked but it was quite a distance. There was much to see and "drink in" including a bottle seen, but not drunk, of Campbeltown whisky which had a price tag of 50,000 pounds. You read that correctly: 50,000 pounds ... approx 75,0000 dollars !!!

Today we are heading to Kelving Grove, as well as the center of Glasgow, and it's now 900AM so I must sign off.

Praise God ...we arrived safely

2010-05-17T15:34:00.000-04:00

However, last night at almost 9PM there was a chance the flight would be cancelled due to the ash cloud. But it was not, thank God. We were picked up at the airport and are now being well cared for at the home of Pastor Marshall Cross. Tomorrow we are off to Edinburgh. Very tired now though so time to go to sleep. It's just after 8:30PM and still very light.

In less than 12 hours we will try again ....

2010-05-16T11:24:00.000-04:00

Another trip to the airport, check in, security, boarding, etc. Our friends are confident we will be in Scotland tomorrow.

It has been suggested we try to extend the trip "on the other end" by a few days. It's a tempting suggestion but we would need to arrange accomodations for us, and even if we were offered a free place to stay it would cost extra pounds if we wanted to actually do anything or go anywhere.

Additionally, (The) Ghillie, oor 6YO Border Collie, is being boarded and extending our trip would require the boarder being able to board him, I provided only enough food for the expected journey (short sighted?) and it would cost more $$$. Still, I should probably prepare more food for him and give it to our Pastor just in case.

After all, God's ways are not our ways.

God's ways are not oor ways (Isaiah 55:9)

2010-05-15T13:44:00.000-04:00

When our Pastor dropped us off at the bus station for yesterday's ride to Logan Airport, just prior to his leaving us he prayed for our safety. Safe we are ... but not as we expected. We expected that God would safely see us to Scotland. That's not how it happened.

Just after boarding the aircraft it began, unexpectedly, to rain. Hard and heavy. Then thunder and lightning. It was during this unexpected delay the problem with an engine was observed. Ultimately the flight was cancelled so we are safe in oor wee cottage, waiting until tomorrow when we head back to Logan, and hopefully, successfully to Scotland.

Jacqueline's family recently suffered a tragic loss and her (Jacqueline's) mom is very relieved that we are safe. So are we. Again, not as we expected, but safe. As is everyone else that was on that plane ... and it was full of men, women and (some very young) children. Thank God for that rain, eh?

Of course arriving 2 days later than expected requires a change in our plans but we remain hopeful we are merely delayed rather than blocked.

Flight was cancelled

2010-05-15T04:43:00.000-04:00

After several delays due to continued engine trouble, our flight was cancelled at 03:00AM. We retrieved our baggage and waited in a loooooooonnnng, virtually unmoving "rebooking" line for approximately 45 minutes before I was provided a telephone number to call. Our flight has been rebooked for Sunday night, same time, flight #, etc. I will have to contact our hosts, etc. and let them know about the new plan, although I did speak to Margaret Campbell. Meanwhile we are headed home to rest; we've not slept since we woke Friday morning, and have had nothing to eat since about 7PM last night.

Update

2010-05-15T00:27:00.000-04:00

It's generally best to learn there is engine trouble before your aircraft is thousands of feet above the ocean, and hundreds of miles from land. We are still @Logan @ 11:30PM. Probably at least another hour before the engine part is replaced. We will be missing our connecting flight to Glasgow.

If anyone is reading this ,,,

2010-05-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

We are in Logan Airport, it's about 8PM, flight should be leaving in less than 2 hours. Hope to be able to post an entry at Heathrow but that will depend on the "freeness" of the interknot connection and how much power is in the 'puter battery. Our arrival time for Heathrow is approx 930AM local time. It is now approx 1AM London. Signing off for now.

Today is the day !!! Tha mi agus mo bhean a dol a Alba an-diugh.

2010-05-14T10:26:00.000-04:00

If I phrased The Gaelic correctly it translates my wife and I are going to Scotland today. This entry is being made rather quickly due to the time limitations.

We will be in Alba for 18 days. Our friends Gordon and Margaret Campbell will pick us up and convey us to where we will stay for the first "leg" of the journey: the home of Pastor Marshall Cross, and his family, in Wishaw. We plan/hope to fellowship with Pastor, his friends, etc. and visit Kelvingrove Museum, a street that my cousin Kyle McLea has determined is where an ancestor lived and ??? We will also travel to Edinburgh, Greenock, Gourock, and Wigtown.

Following the Glasgow leg we will drive to Tarbert then take a ferry to Islay where we will stay for several days. While there we will revisit several of our "old favorites", see some new sites (Kilnave, Kintra, iron age forts, and Jura) and revisit friends we made last year.

God has been gracious to us and we anticipate spiritual blessings during this time. Thanks be to Him, families and friends who have been encouraging, and supportive.

Well, I need to sign off for now.

Heart and treasure ...

2010-05-07T19:12:00.000-04:00

" ... where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21, NASB)

God willing my wife and I will be sitting in Logan Airport one week from tonight waiting for our flight to Alba.

Over the years my mother has given to me (and my wife) items that were owned by my Grandmother. Those items include a few books, and a knick knack that has a copy of the Lord's prayer printed on one side and "God grant me the serenity ..." printed on the other. Most recently my Aunt "Doodle Mama" Edie passed on to us a wee butter dish that was my Grandmother's. None of these items is worth much money but we treasure them more than words can say.

We hope God grants our wish and desire to live in Scotland ... even for a short time. My mother has told me several times that my Grandmother enjoyed living in the USofA but never lost her love for Scotland. I can say that even though I have only visited Alba twice I can appreciate that sentiment. We look forward to our return in several days and our visits with friends, as well as seeing familiar places and new places.

Irn Bru

2010-04-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

For more than 20 years (indeed, perhaps most of my life) I have drunk a can/bottle of CocaCola each day with lunch. I thought it the best soft drink ever, no contest. Then I travelled to Scotland and tried Irn Bru. CocaCola had met its master. Bright orange in color, nice and sweet, and infused with caffeine, it meets my dietary lunch beverage requirements. And it's Scottish. What more could I want? Interestingly, I was told by a friend in Scotland that Irn Bru is the number one soft drink in Scotland and that has for years knotted the knickers of CocaCola. My only question is ... why orange and not blue? Regardless, I am committed to securing a source of my preferred beverage.

Links to Irn Bru, and a story about Coca Cola's desire to be #1.

http://www.irn-bru.co.uk/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/irn-bru-girds-its-loins-for-cocaculloden-1089181.html

Pressing forward to the goal, more family information

2010-03-15T22:11:00.000-04:00

Wow, has it been a month since my last entry? Time has flown.

We continue to plan our trip to Alba. It looks this time to last almost 3 weeks between the 2010 Feis Ile on Islay, and several days exploring the same sites that I saw during 2009 Hogmanay/New Year. The only thing left "to do" is book the flights and the car hire; we have arranged accomodations in all areas. We look forward, very much, to our return to Scotland.

As for family, I've begun digging a bit more vigorously into the paternal side of my family, where the names MacLea,and MacKay are represented. I will continue to research those clan names, my family and hopefully have the opportunity to take a picture or two of where they lived, much as I did in Coatbridge.

Sorry, no pictures this time.

"Bagging" Scotland

2010-02-15T17:57:00.001-05:00

This blog entry has been on my mind for several days, perhaps longer, since "Bagging Scotland" was brought to my attention via Armin Grewe's Islay Blog. A link to his blog entry is here.

So, what exactly is "Bagging Scotland"? Well, rather than try to explain it, I'll quote from the Bagging Scotland website:

"Give your vacations, short breaks or holidays a sense of purpose! Aim high and make it your life’s work to bag Scotland’s 3,000(ish) Castles or why not try to bag ALL of Scotland’s 95 inhabited Islands in a year? By Bagging the 85 Malt Whisky Distilleries in Scotland, you’ll just happen to pass through some of Scotlands best scenery which is full of Castle culture, history and heritage as well. It’s simple, with Bagging Scotland.

At the risk of sounding narrow minded, I honestly don't understand why anyone would desire to "bag" Scotland. "Passing through" scenery on your way to put another notch in your bag-belt is hardly the way to appreciate the country or its people. I freely admit I've not spent a lot of time in Scotland but what time I have spent has been more enjoyable than my wildest dreams would have expected. I attribute the enjoyment to the simple fact that I was not out to see as much as possible in a limited amount of time.

As a matter of fact, in 2009 mo bhean and I spent more than a week on Islay itself and still did not see all that we wanted. I recently spent more than a week traveling between Ghlaschu, Dhun Eideann, and Dumfries and only scratched the surface. How, I ask, can anyone expect to really appreciate Scotland by tramping all over the place in a mad rush to see all the castles, islands, distilleries, or whatever, in 'x' amount of time?

My opinion is that Scotland is like a beautiful woman (or handsome man, if my reader is a woman): she should be savored and appreciated through time spent in her embrace, lingering for a time at each spot and drinking it all in prior to moving on. Then, when you must leave, return again and again, as many times as possible, but don't rush the moment, and certainly don't be in a hurry to rush to the next "baggable" location.

In any case, that's my opinion. I'd appreciate any readers comments whether, or not, you agree with me.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

2010-01-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

During our first Scotland visit, to Islay, we were fortunate to be able to have some meals in the Old Kiln Cafe at the Ardbeg Distillery . One of the highlights of the meals was Sticky Toffee Pudding.

The other day, using the Scottish cookbook given to us by Gordon and Margaret Campbell, my wife made some STP. The recipe called for the toffee to be poured over the pudding so the result was different from what we had experienced in the past; a pudding swimming in a sea of sticky toffee, and (ice) cream !!! Still, it was delicious and I've been eating a bit each day since its creation.

Jacqueline has decided that her next batch of STP will be small, individual puddings, rather than one large. Still, as delicious as it is homemade, we look forward to our next visit to the Old Kiln Cafe, or the Criffel Inn in New Abbey, for a wee taste of STP.

Porridge (oatmeal)

2010-01-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

During my Hogmanay 2009/New Year 2010 visit to Alba, my friends Gordon and Margaret Campbell gave to me a copy of Scots Cooking, by Sue Lawrence. It's a treasure trove of recipes and their backgrounds, as well as Scottish "folk lore". The book is divided into sections, such as "Breakfast", and so forth. Well, upon arriving back in the USofA, my wife and I were perusing the recipes, and I was shocked, nay dismayed and chagrined to learn that every day, for more than 4 years, I have been cooking and eating my porridge in a manner more fitting a Sassenach than a Scotsman.

My personal recipe (developed over the past 4+ years) calls for equal parts oats, water, and milk, along with raisins to suit, and a diced apple. All ingredients are placed in a sauce pan, heated to boiling, simmered for a few minutes then served with a bit of milk poured over and sweetened to taste with brown sugar, honey, or whatever you like.

Weelll ..... according to the book, the porridge (oatmeal) should be soaked in water (not milk) overnight then cooked for about 15 minutes the next day. And only a Sassenach pours milk over the porridge; the correct manner of eating is porridge in bowl, milk in separate bowl; use horn (spoon) to grab some porridge, dip into milk, eat. This allows the porridge to remain hot, and the milk to remain cool(er for longer).

So, my wife and I have begun soaking the old fashioned slow cook oats overnight, and the difference in post-cooking texture is remarkably different from that of not-soaked, but I must confess I like the added creaminess of milk so we do use milk. With that said, if I was planning to pour the porridge into a kitchen drawer (or kist in NE Alba), to let it cool, then cut it into slices (calders) for frying I'd never use milk ... the milk would spoil and that would be nasty. Next up is to try dipping the porridge into a bowl so it stays warm rather than cooling it off by dousing it with cold milk.

2010 Feis Ile

2010-01-14T20:36:00.000-05:00

Booked the ferry passage (Caledonian MacBrayne) from Kennacraig to Port Ellen for 22nd-May. This was done because we plan to take a car with us to the island rather than hire one at the location. Rather dear $$$ to do that though; still, the auto will be useful on the mainland and we are looking forward to site-seeing during the drive from Glasgow to the terminal. We will leave Islay from Port Askaig, so we can see a wee bit of the Sound of Islay, on the 29th May. After we depart Islay on the 29th we hope to spend a few days retracing my footsteps from 2009 Hogmany/2010 New Year. Still, much planning remains to be done for the 2010 Feis Ile journey.

Back in the USofA, Highlights of visit

2010-01-12T13:24:00.000-05:00

I've been back in the states for almost one week and wanted to share a wee bit about the return, as well as highlights of the visit.

My friend Gordon conveyed me to Glasgow Intl airport on the 6th where we learned my original flight was cancelled !!! Gordon explained my situation to one of the airport/airline employees and I was placed on a different (earlier) flight, which I believe was the last flight leaving Glasgow for Heathrow. Ironically that earlier flight departed later than my originally scheduled flight, but because my Heathrow flight was not scheduled to leave until almost 6PM, that was no problem. My flight from Heathrow was delayed a bit due to security (or the airline) deciding to check all carryon bags, just prior to boarding, and that can be interesting. Sadly, as with our previous journey, the worst experience was with Border Patrol/Customs upon reentering the USofA. For some reason I/we seem to encounter very bad attitudes on the part of the defenders of our borders. Ultimately though, despite delays and such I arrived safely back in the USofA just about the same time I was originally scheduled !!! PRAISE GOD !!!

Talking to my father a few days later, he asked me what were the highlights of the visit. As cliche as it might sound, the entire visit was a highlight (of my life), but, thinking about it a wee bit there were a few particularly memorable events or aspects:

Jim Gellatly (the Unknown Scot) googling for various words I used during a conversation, and finding this blog. Here's a link to that blog entry .... http://ooralbablog.blogspot.com/2010/01/mind-yer-heid.html
The overwhelming hospitality of the Scots with whom I spent time, many of whom I met for the first time during the visit.
The realization that not hiring a car was the correct decision. Had I taken the advice to hire a car I would not have been blessed with the conversations that I had while traveling on the trains, buses, and private automobiles. It's also quite likely, had I hired a car, that I would still be lost in Glasgow, or trying to find my way back from Wales, Cape Wrath, or John o'Groats !!!

Hopefully soon I will be posting many of the pics from this visit, and the 2009 Feis Ile, to a photo gallery on Flickr or ... and I'll post to the blog an appropriate link. So, please keep an eye on OorAlbaBlog.

Mar sin leibh (goodbye) ... but I will return

2010-01-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

This is the last post of the journey. After this I must prepare for the trip back to the USofA.

Last night my wife suggested I had enough time today to revisit the Central Station area of Glasgow, so this AM that's what I did, but I arrived a bit later than planned. I boarded the Newton to GC train which made it almost to Cambuslang before stopping due to a broken down car ahead on the tracks. Eventually we were transported back to Newton where we all boarded the "high rail(?)" to Glasgow Central Station. I walked aboot a wee bit and had lunch at a pub. A few hours later I boarded the train back to Newton, and here I am with my final words.

I stood on a wee hill near where I am staying and took the attached picture. Several days ago I arrived in Glasgow, alone, knowing noone face-to-face except Gordon and his wife, who picked me up at the airport and conveyed me to where I would stay. Duringthis stay I have used public transportation, or been chauferred (sic?) to various places by Gordon, and others who I met during my stay. In short, I have had to rely on others for assistance and direction, and they have all been more of a blessing that I could have imagined.

Many years ago my grandmother left Scotland for a strange land where, to my knowledge, she knew noone. As I stood on that hill looking out over Glasgow my wish was that I could hear her voice telling me what she felt as she left Scotland for a place she did not know, because right now I am rather sad to leave Scotland, a place I want to know well, and I am eager to return.

Mind Yer Heid !!!

2010-01-04T15:35:00.000-05:00

Returned to Dumfries, and area, today courtesy of, and with, Ann and Bob Baird. We had lunch at Robbie Burns favorite howff, the Globe Inn, which dates back to 1610. After lunch I wanted to visit T.B. Watson's and see what there was to see. While there I was able to sample Bruichladdich's Octomore: what a dram !!! From there we drove along the A710 through Drumburn, as far as Kirkbean, until it was getting dark, and time to head back to Glasgow.

Tomorrow is my last full day here, in Alba, but some of it will be spent preparing to return to the USofA. I have had fun, seen much, made friends, and hope God blesses me to return with my wife and continue to explore, perhaps as residents for a time.

Because I will probably lack the time tomorrow to blog I would like to thank the following people in Scotland who made this adventure possible through assistance, advice, encouragement, etc:

Scott Miller

John Colvin

Bob and Ann Baird
Alan and Margot Ross

Paul and Heini Euliano

Gordon and Margaret Campbell

The public transport workers who answered my many questions about "How do I ..."

To the unknown Scot who found this blog while he, I, and another Scot, were standing at the Newton train station one morning, and he (the unknown) "googled" for keywords, based on our conversation, then asked me "How was the cullen skink?" My friend, you made my day with that comment. I hope you have read, and enjoy, the blog. Slainte !!!

There were others, such as Allan McGregor, who I did not have a chance to meet. Hopefully next time. There were still others, such as the (Gaelic speaking) members of St Columba church whom I hope to remain in contact as well.

If I did not mention anyone who believes they should have been mentioned, please forgive.

If you've been following, please continue to do so. I will be posting further thoughts, and pictures. Ideally I'd like to provide a link to a photo gallery rather than have to embed photographs.

I have a little bit of The Gaelic (but desire more)

2010-01-03T16:20:00.000-05:00

Today I attended two services at St Columba, in Glasgow. The first, at 10:00AM was in Gaelic, the second, at 11:00 in English. Following the Gaelic service the woman sitting in front of me introduced herself, speaking in The Gaelic but immediately switched to English when I responded in English. I think I know what she asked me but with no Gaelic speakers where I live my progress in self-teaching is not rapid. Yet, I remain committed to learning. It turned out that she had to learn to speak English having grown up speaking Gaidhlig on Leodhas (Lewis). I was amazed at how easily she and others switched from The Gaelic (of which I understand some, but not a lot) to English. The number of Gaelic speakers is not large and there is effort to keep it alive; I offered to move to Scotland so I can learn it as well.

From there I wandered around Glasgow, down to St Andrew's on the Square, where I hoped to have lunch but the cafe was closed. So, I walked back to the Central Station area where I had lunch. This was the shortest day so far: I left at after 8 and returned at 5ish. There is so much to see, and I have enjoyed tremendously the opportunities I have had to talk to Scots while waiting for a train, visiting them in their homes, or as a result of asking for directions to a destination. Only two more days in Alba. I miss my wife (and The Ghillie) but I will be sad to leave, and hope that God will open doors for us to return, perhaps to live.

A correction, pics from Saturday

2010-01-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

I was informed that I misunderstood the covenenter hangings. So, I updated that blog entry, but to sum up: the Covenenters believed that Christ, not the ruling monarch, was the head of the church. They were killed for that belief.

I have posted some pics of my exploration of Dumfries, and the surrounding area. Robert Burns statue, GreyFriars Kirk (across the street from where Robert the Bruce killed his rival for the crown), New Abbey and Sweetheart Abbey, John Paul Jones cottage (yes, those are palm trees !!!), JM Barrie's house, and sticky toffee pudding !!!

South to Dumfries ... longest day thus far

2010-01-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

Today I walked to the train station at 07:15 to head south to Dumfries, John Paul Jones cottage, Robert Burns house, statue, etc., New Abbey, etc. It was 10:30PM by the time I was back at the house where I am staying. I took many snaps but I am too tired, and it's too late, to sort through them to post a few. I hope to do so tomorrow. My destination tomorrow is St Columba Church, in Glasgow, to hear a sermon in Scots Gaelic. I'll probably then "hang around" Glasgow for a while if anything is open.

Glasgow (Cathedral), Pot Still, Loch and Ben Lomond

2010-01-01T17:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning Gordon picked me up and we headed off for a tour of Glasgow which included the Glasgow Cathedral (a building which dates to about 1200), and The Pot Still. The Cathedral has two sections (one for the common folk, the other for the posh folk) as well as many smaller "private" chapels. It also has heavily "pockmarked" columns where the Protestant Reformers tore icons down after wresting the church from the hands of Roman Catholic clergy. I was pleased as punch to find the name "Small" on one of the private pews in the posh area.

I was awed to find a private chapel, for nurses, that had been refurbished at some time after being unused for more than 400 years. Yes, that's correct, a private chapel unused for more than 400 years in a more than 800 year old church: that 400 years is considerably longer than the United States has existed as a Republic. From there we headed off to The Pot Still, which has a selection of more than 300 whiskies, where I was hoping to find a couple of lowland malts that I wanted to try, and I was thrilled to be able to sample Littlemill, and Rosebank ... both from no-longer-in-operation distilleries.

After that we drove to his house, picked up his wife, Margaret, and headed to Helensburgh, via Loch Lomand, where we ate a late lunch, then walked down onto the pier to look across at Greenock. We then drove back to their house for a quiet Hogmanay and stayed up into the wee hours chatting. Today was cold (probably only about 20-25 degrees F) but we took a walk after lunch, down to the Auchentoshan Distillery. After a great supper of steak pie, champit tatties, carrots, brocolli, and ice cream for desert, I was conveyed back to my temporary digs.

Many, and deepest, thanks to Gordon and Margaret Campbell for putting up with me for two days, and to my wife, for allowing me to make this journey.

Tomorrow I catch a train from Newton to Glasgow, then south to Dumfries !!!!

Edinburgh (part 2): Grassmarket, Castle, Cullen Skink

2010-01-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

Sorry I took so long to post again but yesterday and today I was busy visiting and such. Before I continue on about what I saw, let me say "thanks" to my Edinburgh guide, Scott. He showed me sites that were more meaningful to me than the typical tourist stuff (although he did not know it until I became animated) and we had great fun together at The Whisky Experience, where we sampled great drams including anCnoc, and Ledaig.

During our walkabout he mentioned a site called Grassmarket "where they hung a bunch of people". It turned out that Grassmarket was where the Convenenters were hung when they dared to take the stand that Christ, not the King, is the head of the church. Thanks to John, of Dumfries, for correcting my misunderstanding. I have attached a picture of part of the memorial. While down in that area I was able to take a picture of the back of the castle, and we decided to have supper at a wee pizza joint. I asked to see a menu and what had been a quick stop for a slice of pizza became supper that included a bowl of delicious, I've-never-had-it-before-but-it's-on-the-menu-so-I-must-try-it, fish chowder called Cullen Skink.

It was a full day beginning at about 08:15 when I headed off to the train station, walking, in the dark, arrived in Edinburgh at about 11, walked about, and because I had an "off hours" ticket, I had to wait until after 6:00PM before I could take the train back to Cambuslang where I walked back to the house, in the dark and snowfall, arriving safe and sound at about 8:30PM.

I am having great fun !!!

Edinburgh visit (part one)

2009-12-30T17:23:00.000-05:00

This will be a short entry,with more text and pics tomorrow. I left here in the dark (about8:30) and arrived back here at 8:30PM, in the dark, accompanied by a nice snow fall. I took a train to Edinburgh and spent the day there with a friend from the states, who moved several months ago. The one pic attached here was taken from the train. After returning I unpacked, called Jacqueline, then spoke to Ann Baird about some plans for tomorrow which might include a train ride into Glasgow, in preparation for doing the same on Sunday to visit the St Columba Church and hear a sermon in Scots Gaelic. I am doing well but too tired to write more at this time.

Darkness all over the town

2009-12-30T02:58:00.000-05:00

It's about 08:00AM here, 3AM back on the east coast of USA. It's still dark, but getting lighter, outside. Think about that next time you wonder where is the sun. Off to Edinburgh.

Jetlag, Coatbridge, Airdrie ...

2009-12-29T17:28:00.000-05:00

Jetlag caught up with me last night. I went to sleep around 7PM and did not wake up until after 9AM this morning. I ate a quick bite, drank some coffee, got dressed and headed to the train station ... about a 15 minute walk. First stop was Coatbridge, the birthplace/hometown of my Grandmother Susan Robson Bryden. I found (actually, I stopped in a church for directions and one of the parishioners told me "I have a few minutes, I'll walk you down there."") the street, Buchanan, she lived on but the area has been renovated. Based on discussions with residents, I boarded a bus to Airdrie, where my great-great Grandparents lived, to view pictures of Coatbridge (and Airdrie) through the years. A very helpful lady gave me directions to the street, Callon, that Oliver Bryden lived on. Returning from Airdrie, I asked some patrolling police officers if they could tell me where 117 Main Street, where my Grandmother was born, is located but alas, that too is gone. Ultimately, I arrived back at where I am staying at about 7PM. A long, but informative day. Apologies for the poor formatting (lots of white space) but it is late (almost 11PM), I am tired, and I have to rise early enough, tomorrow, to make it to Edinburgh.

Safe arrival

2009-12-28T12:59:00.000-05:00

It's about 6PM in Scotland. I arrived safely in Glasgow where I was picked up Gordon Campbell who took me to his house for lunch, prepared by his wife Margaret. Lunch was holiday sandwiches of (melted) brie cheese with cranberry sauce. Very different and very satisfying. We visited for a while, I told Margaret why I was traveling in December (no migies !!!) and afterward they drove me to where I am staying, where I was helped tremendously by a friend of my hosts. I was also told that I was obviously dressed for the weather (wearing my usual shorts) there is considerable snow and ice. There is a train station a short distance from where I am staying so tomorrow I will walk to the train, and make best effort to catch a train to Coatbridge. In the meantime, I have been awake, more or less, since about 8AM yesterday morning and need some sleep.

Return to Scotland

2009-12-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

For those readers who do not know, I am returning to Scotland. Today. The trip has been in the works for many weeks/a few months but due to the weather this time of year, I travel without Jacqueline. My goals are Glasgow, Coatbridge, Dumfries, Edinburgh, and ??? The purpose of the trip is to walk the same streets walked by my ancestors more than 100 years ago. I spent time online researching geneology and believe I have found residence addresses, etc.

This journey home would not have been possible without the encouragement of my wife, and friends. Also, God has blessed me with brothers and sisters in Christ, in Scotland, who are willing to spend time with me. Finally, but hardly lastly, I have been exceedingly blessed with a place to stay courtesy Pastor Paul Euliano, and his wife Heini, of Bridgeton Life Church in Glasgow.

http://www.lifechurchonline.co.uk/

I will be relying on God, friends and public transportation to make my way around between the various sites, and I endeavor to take pictures and blog each day. Jacqueline has insisted that this time I be in some of the pics. So, I will be in some of the pictures.

18th Century Ball, Tablet at Marshwood High (Eliot, ME) Craft Fair

2009-12-08T19:35:00.000-05:00

On the 21st November, 2009, in Greenland, NH, the Greenland/Seacoast class, Boston branch, of the RSCDS (Royal Scottish Country Dance Society) held an 18th Century at the Parish House in Greenland, NH. The reference to 18th century is that many of the dances are from that time frame. Jacqueline and I had been interested for some time in learning SCD and are taking lessons. This event would mark the first time our rank-amatuer-ish-ness would be exposed to others outside our wee weekly group. Other SCDers from Brunswick (ME), Nashua (NH), Salem (NH or MA?) and Cambridge (MA) attended and, as you can see, there was a sizable group arrayed in a wide variety of costume. We had a grand time. Sorry, nae pics of myself; not that none exist but you lot will not be seeing them !!!

On December 5 we attended our first ever craft fair to sell J's Bluebell Butter Tablet, and it was a great success. We met many nice folks (vendors and customers) and everyone was very complimentary to the quality of Jacqueline's product, as well as the attractive packaging and presentation. Despite what some of the regulars told us was a thin crowd, in comparison to previous years, we sold about 30 pounds packaged in bars, bags, and boxes. Praise be to God !!! for that encouraging, and fun time together, and the great location where we would not be lost in the crowd of vendors. Sorry the picture seems a bit out of focus but the fluorescent lights were bothering me quite a bit that day, and I took the picture before the show officially opened.

Folk music, Tablet, Scottish country dancing

2009-11-11T19:12:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since the last post. I had wanted to post right after seeing Malinky perform at a local folk club on Sept 30, but events happened, one day turned into three, then a week, etc. Finally, I've spent more than a week battling illness; fortunately it is not the dreaded H1N1 but it did knock me about quite a bit.

Anyway, my planned posts were about the show, tablet, and Scottish country dancing. So I will combine the three and go for it.

First up: Malinky. They performed in Rollinsford, NH a week after the Highland Games @ Loon Mt., in Lincoln, NH. I attended the show, Jacqueline was unable to and very disappointed that she missed such a brilliant performance. They performed many tunes from their Flower and Iron CD, and also performed, at request, The Wild Geese/Norland Wind. Here's a link to Youtube and that particular song, which is one of my favorites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1kvSeiUGvg&feature=related

At the show I asked if they would be willing to taste-test, and approve or not, a batch of tablet that my wife made. She (we) hope to sell it in our area, and who knows where that will lead. Well they were willing to taste it and pronounced it very good. Here is a link to the front-page, and their endorsement of the product, with a picture, on our website.
http://www.bluebellbuttertabletofmaine.com/
http://www.bluebellbuttertabletofmaine.com/bbbt/endorsement.html

Finally, one of the things my wife and I wanted to do for a long time was learn to dance. We took ballroom lessons but the end result was not as we had hoped. Much of that is my "fault" as I am not a particularly good dance leader; what should be finesse most of the time devolves into my dragging her around the dance floor. Fortunately we decided to learn Scottish country dancing and a few weeks ago took our first lesson. It's great and we highly recommend it for the sheer fun of the group experience. I too found it to be more to my liking than ballroom style dancing; perhaps, probably, because of the Scottish blood flowing in my veins. Later this month the group will be holding an 18th century dance, complete with many folks wearing appropriate costume, and I plan on taking some pictures and posting them to the blog.

Meanwhile, slainte !!!!

New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mountain

2009-09-21T19:38:00.000-04:00

We travelled north for a couple of hours to attend the first day (Friday the 18th 2009) of the New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mountain. What a thrill to enter the Governor's Lodge to the sounds of John Carmichael singing "Westering Home". We also heard, and saw, Malinky, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Albannach, and Brigadoons.

I did not take many pictures during the day but I have posted a few, along with one taken a few years ago of a solo piper who, late in the day, climbed onto a large rock in the middle of the river that flows near the games.

One of the more interesting "findings" was Clan Bell in the clan village, with their shirts that stated "Border Clans Can Be Beligerent". For those who are not aware, families such as Bell belonged to what are collectively known as "The Border Reivers." My maternal grandmother was a Robson, another of the Border Reiver families; one of the more notorious I might add. Anyway, over the past few days I have been wondering how many of the Highland Games or Clan Gatherings have a strong, if any, presence of representatives of the "Border Reivers".

At the back of the program was a coupon good for $15.00 off any two bottles of whisky with a total value of at least $50.00. Well, one of the illustrated bottles was Ardbeg's Supernova, and I thought "Schweet". Sadly, they have not had any for quite some time. :-( Nor do they have any Uigeadail or Airigh Nam Beist. I guess, until we return to Islay we will have to be content with the 10YO.

Wobbly glasses, whisky, and Westering Home

2009-08-23T19:33:00.001-04:00

While on Islay for the 2009 Feis Ile, we visited all 8 distilleries, and obtained a whisky glass (or two at Bowmore because that's how they were packaged) from each. The glasses came in various shapes and sizes, some round "tumblers", others square, still others recognizable as tasting glasses.

But probably the most unusual glass was obtained at Bunnahabhain. Iain Shaw told us it was to simulate being onboard ship, enjoying a dram. There is a picture (not the best I've ever taken) of said glass, and if you look at the base you'll note that it is convex in profile. Hence, when you place it down, it tilts !!! I must confess that I don't actually use the glass though because when I did, once, and placed the glass down without thinking about the bottom the whisky 'sloshed' a wee bit. I thought of how easily one careless move could knock the glass completely over and I'd rather not spill whisky. So, it remains in a cabinet on display.

While on the subject of Bunnahabhain, during our journey home we purchased a bottle of Darach Ur (Scots Gaelic for new oak) and it's an interesting dram. The aging cask was made from new oak, rather than a used bourbon or sherry cask. A picture of the (almost empty) bottle is attached.

Lastly, Bunnahabhain packaging/labeling shows an Islay man "Westering Home" to Islay, and if you look closely at the label you'll see him. For those who've not heard the song, here is a link to a youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a5HCyWRyMc

Made in Scotland

2009-08-03T16:15:00.000-04:00

While surfing "the web" for even more information about Scotland, I came across this:

http://player.stv.tv/programmes/made-in-scotland/2009-07-23-2100/

It's 4 parts, and about 5 minutes into part-2 there are several minutes about Islay. I have no idea how long it will be available for viewing but it brought a tear to my eye.

Slainte.

Returning to Islay for 2010 Feis Ile

2009-07-18T20:14:00.000-04:00

We decided earlier this month to return to Islay for the 2010 Feis Ile. But this time, rather than a B&B, we want to try a "self catering" (renting a small flat for the week) in order to reduce eating expenses, and hopefully overall expenses.

Obviously the first thing to do is find accomodations. I (Mike) sent out a few dozen emails knowing full-well many of the self-caters would be already booked. Happily there were a few available but many of them are intended for more than 2 people and hence the rent can be dear.

One that was not too dear (http://www.islaysmiddy.com/) , and we considered for a moment or two, was ruled out simply because its location, although spectacular,) was too far from a primary road. In the future we will make a plan to stay there for this, our second trip, we wanted to stay somewhere closer to the center of Islay, if possible.

Happily, we received an email from a woman who has a nice, reasonably priced flat in Ballygrant. When I looked at the picture I said "We stopped at the wee store there on our way to Finlaggan." I've posted a couple of the pictures I took so you can see how similar our picture is to one on the Craigard website. http://ileach.co.uk/craigard/an-araidh/index.html

I have posted a map (from http://www.islayinfo.com/map.html) of Islay with three red circles; one near Port Ellen (southern part of Islay) which is where we stayed for the 2009 Feis Ile, another circle up in the north west near Saligo Bay (the not-too-dear-but-too-isolated rental) and the 3rd at Ballygrant which is where we plan on staying.

Antidote to Dreich Weather in Maine

2009-06-29T21:14:00.000-04:00

Monday, June 29, 2009

The Scots word dreich best describes the weather pattern we’ve endured in Maine since our return from Islay on June 1: bleak, dreary, miserable, dismal and cheerless. According to Bath, Maine Weather, (http://bathmaineweather.com/ ) 7.99 inches of rain have fallen throughout 16 days this month. ‘My Corner of Maine’ blogger Paula (http://maineliving.blogspot.com/) recalls only 3 sunny days all month. Today’s “forecast-at-a-glance” is worded thusly: “cool temps” (mostly around 58-60° F or 10°-15° C) “clouds, drizzle, rain likely, chance of showers, fog and/or mist” all the way through July 6th at which time, temps may rise to 76° F (24.4°C).

The weather has traditionally been the conventional topic of conversation among Mainers as was true today with much grumbling and dismay that our long-awaited beautiful summer is not likely to arrive until mid-July, if at all. And in the blink-of-an-eye, following our 4th of July Independence Day celebration, another long and dreich Maine winter will again be nipping at our heels; all very tiresome and dispiriting stuff that sends my mind journeying back to Islay and the warm sunny days that graced our May holiday there.

Although we experienced some cool, windy, misty days on Islay, our time was finished out with sunshine, warmth and bright, astonishingly blue morning skies, the likes of which I’d never seen before. I would awaken at dawn to find a sky bursting with the noonday brilliance of our New England summers.

As I sat here in our chilly, damp, musty cottage in Kittery Pt. Maine, wearing a fleece pull-over and woolen socks, bemoaning the deprivation of sun and sandals, I visited Armin Grewe’s wonderful Islay blog http://www.islayblog.com/ and read of the lovely summer being enjoyed there. The photos of bathers cooling off in Port Ellen waters give the appearance of a tropical paradise. The videos of the recent Islay Beach Rugby Tournament show the enviable bare-footed lads and lassies frolicking in the sand wearing wee tees and shorts. Armin mentions his fatigue from the “heat wave” that temporarily sidelines his writing, an impressive 23.4° C (nearly 75° F) in Port Ellen (30° C, 86° F forecast for mainland UK). Finally he writes about the Ileachs’ anticipation of cooler evenings that usher in spectacular summer sunsets, photos of which Armin featured on today’s blog. Lovely!

Perhaps the only way to remedy my Maine dreich is to plan a return trip to Islay and begin counting down the days till Michael and I behold the extraordinary beauty of her radiant skies, sandy beaches, craggy hills, pristine lochs, lush green fields, her friendly faces, gently lilting voices, her eager, helpful hearts, and her ever-sunny frame of mind. Dian a thoiseach! (God willing!)

© Jacqueline Small

Tablet ...

2009-06-19T13:17:00.000-04:00

Friday, 19 June 2009
Jacqueline here on ‘Tablet’— One of the Seven Wonders of Scotland.
Michael and I first discovered tablet, Scotland’s age old national sweetie, at the village store in Ballygrant on the way to Port Askaig one day. Feeling travel-weary, cranky and in need of a snack to sweeten my mood, I couldn’t resist the scored squares of fawn-colored confection in wee cello bags near the check-out. Back in the car, it was pure heaven, buttery sugary grit melting on our tongues, delivering smiles and renewed energy. Once on our way, it wasn’t long before I began pilfering the bag to savor another tantalizing square. Travel is long exhausting work so one must do whatever is necessary to keep ones energy and spirits up. For me, Scotland’s tablet proved to be the solution. Once the squares were gone, they were easily replaced because we found tablet for sale in all the village stores! And judging from the labels I saved, we bought at least three packages of Islay’s An Gleann Butter Tablet. We indulged in a variety of their samples served at many of the events we attended, including single malt whisky flavored tablet (my preference being the pure plain butter tablet). An Gleann (the glen) is a cottage business located in Port Charlotte, Islay. Their tablet is exceptional; its attractive packaging captures the essence of Islay and their web site itself, http://www.angleann.co.uk/, is delicious—crisp, clean, and inviting. Nicely done An Gleann!
This week, after finding a recipe on line, I succeeded in making a lovely batch of tablet only to realize that it is auspiciously akin to the beloved confection my Canadian grandmother made throughout my childhood. I’d like to imagine that the original centuries-old tablet recipe came to Canada with our Scottish ancestors who emigrated there—feeding my sense of connection to alainn Alba (lovely Scotland), just as tablet satiates my inherent sweet-tooth.

A Few Memories, Faces, and Impressions

2009-06-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

In the midst of the stress and turmoil of my job, I find myself missing Islay and wanting to travel back there if only in my memories. Michael and I, by no means, relaxed on our island holiday last month, yet, in the swirl of my current reality, I find I can return to Islay’s tranquility, its diversions, its magic, its people and its serendipity at every bend in the road—every bend in those skinny roads alone, were discovery for these two American travelers.

I’m keenly aware that my favorite color is green when I think of Islay’s fertile landscape and of the comfort gleaned from its vast open-airy-ness, its sheep-garnished hills, country crofts and ancient stone structures. We delighted in its hidden cottages, tucked into the hillsides that frame the Sound of Islay, as well as in its neat rows of colorful houses that knit together each distinctive village—their homey greens and squares, sandy beaches and sentinel lighthouses, and the prevalence of the island’s ‘beasts’. One such bend in the road treated us to the amazing scene of a herd of cattle ambling across a beach near Bridgend one evening (Traigh Cill an Rhuba, tidal sands of Loch Indaal). While searching a lush rain-soaked field of grass for the remains of the medieval era Kilmeny Parish Church (there is a new church as well http://www.kilmenychurch.org.uk/ ) an exuberant border collie appeared out of nowhere, knocked me down and ravished my face with kisses. I was suddenly six years old and giddy with laughter.

I remember the faces of people we met, the older gentleman smoking a cigarette seated on a bench outside his granddaughter’s home in Portnahaven. Once a Glasgow boy, he found this place too quiet. The hilltop lane he lived on offered a stunning uncorrupted view of the wild Atlantic, my kind of ‘quiet’. One day while madly snapping photos of ruins and cemeteries, the postman came dashing over hill and dale in his wee red truck. To our delight, it was Alan, Michael’s chess opponent of the previous night. I still see the grin of recognition on his face when he stopped to say “hello” and then the red blur of his Royal Mail truck buzzing away along the winding pathways of moor and meedie.

In Port Ellen we happened upon the Celebration on the Green, a children’s festival which was heralded by the Islay Pipe Band marching through the streets. But what equally thrilled us was the sight of jubilant kids and dogs running on the beach there, where we also sat to eat our fish and chip lunch served up by the cheery ladies in the local Nippy Chippy van.

Well, that’s it for today; I don’t want to overwhelm you with all my memories at once and my own rambunctious border collie needs a walk before I return to reality and head off to work. Yet of this I am confident—God’s grace will keep me far above it all.

Mise le meas (Yours faithfully)
Jacqueline

Tour of Bunnahabhain ...

2009-06-05T18:19:00.000-04:00

Friday, 05 June 2009

It’s good to be home in Kittery again just in time for a beautiful Maine summer and to have returned while so many of our spring perennials and flowering shrubs are in bloom. After catching up on some much needed rest, Michael and I have been able to view the dozens of photos we took which we plan to compile onto a CD to share with all of you. While re-reading our journals and remembering all the interesting people we met on Islay, I thought I’d comment on one individual whose captivating character greatly enhanced our Islay experience. Iain Shaw is a nineteen year old young man who has been working for just six weeks, in the visitor shop as well as a tour guide at Bunnahabhain Distillery.

Iain’s attentiveness to us not only made us feel comfortable and welcome, it served to endear us to this establishment in particular. We found Iain’s ample self-confidence and ambitiousness to be pleasantly balanced by buckets of personality, charm and quick wit; his colorful Scottish expressions were highly entertaining and his detailed knowledge of the distillery’s workings was impressive and informative. Some may say Iain’s just a cheeky wee lad, but who knows? Upon re-visiting Bunnahabhain in years to come, we’d not be surprised if we were greeted by Iain W. Shaw, Distillery Manager. Thanks Iain, for making our May 2009 visit so memorable. Michael and I are confident that the contribution of your gifts and talents will make for a long and prosperous career at Bunnahabhain.

Bu thoigh leam d’aire a tharraing ri (I’d like to call your attention to) the lovely setting into which Bunnahabhain nestles, as well as that of Coal Ile Distillery (pronounced culleela, the Sound of Islay) just a wee jaunt down the road. Sitting upon the sea wall at Bunnahabhain, you overlook a smooth stone beach where gentle waves tumble to shore. Moored nearby is a colorful lobster boat, not far from the pier where a pile of traps or ‘creels’ sit. When you lift your eyes eastward to yonder hills on the neighboring island of Jura, your vision falls upon three pyramidal mounts aptly named the Paps (an illustrative old Norse word) of Jura. Visits to either of these distilleries not only provide cordial receptions but promise thrilling views of the surging sound whose craggy shoreline rises to lush green hills and this unique mountain range. Unforgettably lovely!

Le dùrachdan, (With good wishes)
Jacqueline

Videos of events during 2009 Feis Ile

2009-06-03T19:14:00.000-04:00

While googling for information regarding a wee cave that I found near Samhchair, I found some videos of the 2009 Feis Ile events on the website for Islay's newspaper Ileach. FYI, an "Ileach" is a native of Islay.

Here's the link to the paper; www.ileach.co.uk/ Check the videos while they are still on the front page.

Here's a link to the site that hosts the paper's videos: http://vimeo.com/user1531689/videos/sort:date

Back in the USA

2009-06-01T22:26:00.000-04:00

It's about 10:30PM. We arrived back at oor wee hoos in ME about 9PM but needed to run out for some milk, make coffee, unpack a few items, etc. Need to get to bed so we can pick up The Ghillie tomorrow. Will blog more thoughts, pictures, etc. soon.

Last day on Islay

2009-05-31T15:40:00.000-04:00

Last night's "ceilidh" was not what we expected. Rather than traditional Scottish/Gaelic tunes the band played covers of american pop and country tunes. We were not impressed but the locals seemed to love it. It was almost surreal to hear the Scots singing, at the top of their lungs, "Take me home country roads" and "I'm a rhinestone cowboy." Each to his own, I guess.

But today's visits were great !!!

We did more driving to visit some "must sees" which included Saligo Bay, and a monument near the beach at Sanaigmore. Before the drive though we walked down to Carraig Fhada lighthouse.

Tomorrow we leave Islay, by plane, for Glasgow then to Heathrow and home.

We've enjoyed our time here and the weather the past two days has been delightfully sunny; I even have a tan (or so I am told) !!!

When we are home we'll still post to this blog our thoughts after leaving and perhaps more detail about some of the sights and sites.

It's now about 9PM, and I need to double check the schedule for tomorrow, send a necessary email or two then pack to leave.

Mike

Another open day, lunch from Nippy Chippy, beach at Machir Bay, ceilidh

2009-05-30T13:44:00.000-04:00

Mike posting at about 7PM, Saturday the 30th

Today was Ardbeg's open day. Once again we ran into the other couple (Gordon and Margaret Campbell) staying at Samhchair. Frequently meeting them during our stay has made the time very pleasand and together we watched some of the athletic events, such as sheep hurling, and bung tossing, enjoyed some "Airigh Nam Beist"(Arry nam Baysht), sat (or stood) and visited. It was a glorious sunny day which added to the festivity atmosphere. Eventually though I (Mike) became hungry so it was time to find something to eat. The Campbell's were taking the ferry from Port Askaig to head home so we said our goodbyes and they headed out for the drive to the ferry terminal.

We had planned to eat at the Arbeg "Old Kiln Cafe" but were told we would probably have to wait about 45 minutes before there was room to sit. So, we decided to drive into the center of Port Eilean (Port Ellen) for lunch as we could find, and saw the Nippy Chippy van which we'd been told served good food . J had fish and chips with 7Up or similar bev, I had a hamburger, and Irn Bru to drink. We ate our lunch while sitting on a short wall, overlooking the harbor. The citizens of the town were out celebrating on the village green and it was very enjoyable to be part of that celebration. There was even a pipe band parading down the street.

After lunch drove back to Kilchoman, at the suggestion of the Campbell's, to visit the beach at Machir Bay. A few days ago when we visited the distillery at Kilchoman, and the ruined/abandoned church and graveyard near it, we were very close to the beach. Indeed, we could see the water but for some reason did not drive the extra distance. Regardless, we drove to see it today and it was worth the drive.

It was very windy, and I am now a bit sunburned, but the beach was lovely and almost completely empty of people. We even saw a wreck, picture attached. In the distance on hills are farms and at least one ruined croft. I can only imagine what it would be like to live in that area, especially before the advent of automobiles.

Tonight we plan to attend the final ceilidh of the Feis Ile. We've been told it will be very exciting, perhaps a bot rowdy, and we'll be up late; ceilidh starts at 10:00PM and ends at 01:00AM but we decided we'll attend and see what happens.

We have only 1 more full day here in Scotland, on Islay, but everyone has been great and we are eager to return as soon as possible. The weather has not been that bad and I am sure that living in the northeast has prepared us for the wind and rain ... but not the midges !!!

Comments are now allowed on the blog ...

2009-05-30T13:42:00.001-04:00

I just realized (because I found it curious there were no comments) that the blog was set up to disallow comments. Now with very little time remaining here it might be irrelevant but feel free to comment on any posting.

Back down the road to Bunnahabhain

2009-05-29T18:43:00.000-04:00

Friday, 29 May 2009, 10:15 PM, UK time, 5:15 PM, NE time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEAN AND JOYCE! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ROB AND SARAH!

We’ve just returned ‘home’ from a family ceilidh held in Ramsey Hall, a community center in Port Ellen, the town we’re staying in our final 3 nights here. We were entertained there by the sweet voices of the Children’s Gaelic Choir, music played by a local traditional Celtic band, Highland dancers as well as Scottish country dancing by all who cared to kick up their heels (we must take lessons soon). This was a real down home hoolie where we once again just kind of blended in with local families in an old hall filled with lively children running about, not unlike those in the US. It was great fun to watch the kids dance with each other, to hear them sing in Gaelic and to see the pride in their parents eyes. We truly are privileged to have witnessed Scotland on such an intimate level.

Earlier today, we attended a festival at Bunnahabhain Distillery (pronounced boonahahven). While touring the facility, I heard an American voice and decided to inquire of the woman’s home, which turned out to be Topsham, MAINE!! (above Portland) She introduced us to her brother in law who lives in Milford, NH. When I said we had dear friends in Milford named Kerry and Linda, he sputtered their last name AND told us he worked with Kerry! Imagine that! Being on an island in Scotland, at the same facility and tour with such folks! Indeed, it is a “small world”. Tomorrow we plan to attend another festival and do some final exploration of the island. The weather has been fine here and warmer temps are forecast for tomorrow; I may wear my shorts yet! I must find a recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding, a yummy favorite here and something called ’tablet’ which is a Scottish standard, a homemade sweetie that can be purchased in any store; it’s basically granular fudge cut in wee squares. It has served me well as ‘energy food’ whenever I grew tired. MMMMGOOD! We’re currently chatting with our fellow B&B guests and hosts here in the living room before we all call it a day, feeling blessed to have made these lovely new friends.

Oidhche mhath! (Goodnight!)
Jacqueline

Mike here, posting the blog. During our drive back from Bunnahabhain, 5M (?)along the one lane road, we finally had the experience I have "dreaded"; traffic in both directions with someone blocking the road to take a picture. Worse is they stopped on a curve.

As difficult as it will be to leave here, it will be nice to see The Ghillie, and return to a regular schedule. With that said, I’ve been talking to folks about finding work in Scotland so we can move. Looking forward to reviewing the photos, trashing the bad, and creating a short presentation to share.

Tomorrow we head to Ardbeg (one of my favorites) for its open day, and to have our whisky-passport stamped. We will probably also stop at Lagavulin, and Laphroaig for their stamps. Attached is a picture of, left to right, the managers of Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin.

More ports, narrow roads,museums

2009-05-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

Thursday 28 May 2009, 10:15PM
It’s been another day packed with adventure! We began doing laundry in a one-unit launderette in the village of Bowmore, pronounced B’mor, rolling the R on the end. While waiting, we visited a wonderful Scottish book and gift shop. We then visited the Museum of Islay Life in Port Charlotte, viewing photos and artifacts from the Victorian error, the 18th & 19th centuries as well as ancient artifacts from all over Islay…very interesting! Then we ate lunch in the Port Charlotte Hotel where the furnishings and artwork were a feast for the eyes, amazing! Further east, we later parked in Port Nahaven to walk about the tiny village where we chatted with an old gentleman sitting on a bench outside his granddaughter’s home. He told me he was a Glasgow boy and found it too quiet in this village. We happen to like the island’s pace; they say they live on ‘Islay time‘ here. We’ve sited numerous lighthouses including a striking one standing guard at the entrance to this lovely quaint village. Driving back, we found the ancient burial grounds of Clan Donald dating to the 14th century. . WOW! It was misty early in the day but cleared to beautiful sunshine that eventually brought out the midges…nasty wee flying bugs that attack and bite humans from head to toe; but in my opinion, they were not as bad as the black flies of home. We experienced the midges this evening back in Bowmore where we attended our first ever ceilidh, pronounced kaylee. This is a Scottish tradition, an informal concert, party, sing-along, dance…First though, a Home Coming Parade was held with marchers making their way down the hill from the Round Church, spilling into the streets below where hundreds had lined up to watch and cheer, including yours truly, waving our St. Andrew‘s Cross flag. The Islay Pipe and Drum Band led the parade of marchers: fire trucks, dancers, brownies, boys clubs, firemen, ambulance crews , etc. Then the ceilidh began in the square. Many were dressed in handsome traditional dress, i.e. tartan kilts, stockings and jackets. The eight distillery managers served as announcers of all the performers. One smashing good band called Skerryvore played great rousing toe-tapping, hand-clapping music. The Islay Gaelic Choir performed, a famous local vocalist named Norma Monroe sang…so beautifully; many in the audience sang along to the traditional songs. Young girls danced the Highland Fling among others, The crowd joined in a favorite Scottish Country Dance called Stripping the Willow, a lively line dance (sort of). At the end of the ceilidh, everyone in the square joined hands and formed a huge circle to sing Auld Lang Syne, including Michael and me. What a thrill it was to take part in this community event, to mingle with and rejoice in celebration with these local islanders and terrifically proud Scots, to raise our voices together in heartfelt song; it was unforgettably AWESOME! Few! What a day! And every one has been just the same, one discovery and delight after another; We miss home and the pace we’re keeping is very tiring but we also hate to leave this beautiful Island. So, we’re off to bed now, already looking forward to tomorrow’s fun.
Oidhche mhath! (Goodnight!)
Jacqueline

Mike here posting J's writing. I attached a picture of our car (me driving) on one of the not-very-unusual-roads on Islay. As you can see there is not much room. Most of the time there are ditches or other such on both sides. The only way for cars to pass is at designated "passing spots" (wider areas) that you might have to back-up in order to reach !!!

Ales, more whisky, more ruins, Gaelic

2009-05-27T17:50:00.000-04:00

Another late night (almost 11PM) blog entry. We just returned from Bogh Mor (Bowmore) where we visited the last distillery on our agenda, had supper then heard two hours of Gaelic voices and traditional voices at the Ionad Chalium Chille Ile.

Our day started with a late breakfast followed by a visit to open day at Islay Ales, where we ran into some folks we've met during the trip, as well as met the retired "Head Keeper" of Islay House. Islay Ales is located in one of the old estate buildings associated with Islay House. The house is for sale if anyone is interested. Link http://www.propertyfinder.com/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=502152118. Here's a link to information about the house and its American owner: http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/buying_and_selling/article2144511.ece

From there we headed south to Kilchoman Distillery (the next to last on our list) that is a small, farm-style distillery located on, uh, a farm, some distance from the ocean. That is somewhat unique these days as the other Islay distilleries are right at the water. However, in times past many distilleries were farm type operations. It was a nice facility and while there we heard of another church/graveyard ruin nearbye so we drove to see it. While there we ran into my chess opponent from last night, who was delivering the mail !!!

Rather than post more pictures of another ruin, or another distillery I'll save the next picture postings for tomorrow after we revisit some of the ports down below Bruichladdich.

American monument, Finlaggan, Port Nahaven

2009-05-26T18:27:00.000-04:00

26 May 2009 6:30 PM

I‘m afraid we‘re finding SO much to do and see that it’s difficult to stop to blog all our exploits. The days are indeed long here; it’s close to 11 before the sun sets and it rises around 4 AM. But I must at least begin by telling you that this is the most beautiful place we have ever seen! It’s so much more than we could ever have imagined. It is lush, green, pristine land, without a spec of litter. The Scots are warm, welcoming and eager to help. We had a wonderful time at The Bruichladdich Distillery Open Day festival listening to bands play traditional music, eating delicious homemade food, watching Scottish country dancing and joining hands in a huge circle to sing Auld Lang Syne at day’s end.

On Monday, Memorial Day, Michael and I visited the American Monument built in 1918 to honor the military who lost their lives in surrounding waters during WWI . We placed our wee Walmart flags in the ground there. It was a stunning site high up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Today we visited the ruins of Finlaggan, the seat of The Lord of The Isles and tonight we hope to attend a ceilidh (concert, party, dance) at Laphroaig Distillery but may not make it if we’re too tired. Dolphin and seals are seen in the waters surrounding this island; the birdlife is spectacular; it’s lambing time so the hills are alive with ewes and their wee baby lambs. There are bunnies running rampant here too. There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of lush vegetation for them all to eat. The thistles are beginning to bloom everywhere too and did I mention all the Scotch broom we’ve seen? Even the poppies are in bloom now. Grocery stores are about the size of our convenience stores, even smaller and they’re called food co-ops. We’re off to eat supper now; will be in touch again as soon as we can.

Cheery/Mar sin leat! (cheerio!)
Jacqueline & Michael

It’s almost 11PM and we just arrived back at Sornbank (Beul an Atha …. Bridgend) after driving to Port nah Abhainne (Port Nahaven) and having dinner at An Tigh Seinnse (pronounced An-tay ShenShee) … so, no ceilidh. However, while supping in the lounge with other guests (including the former owner) the local chess club came in and sat down to play. I asked the members if they would mind their picture being taken. I was told it was no bother then asked “Do you play?”. Well, one thing led to another and before too long I was playing chess with a man named Alan who moved to Islay, from Glasgow, 25 years ago. It was grand fun and I won, but wonder if he allowed me to win because I was a guest.

On the way home, much of the distance along a winding road not much wider than one car, with cows and sheep grazing on either side, with no fences to keep them from being in the road, we had to slow down more than once to avoid a collision with on coming vehicles or sheep in the road !!! This truly is an adventure. Distances are not too great but the road are narrow and windy so even a few kilometers takes longer than you might expect. Add to that I am on the left side of the road with a right side wheel and it’s very exciting.

Well, like J said we are finding it challenging to post as often as we’d hoped but we are having a grand time. Tomorrow we’ll visit the last two distilleries, Kilchoman and Bowmore, and likely drive back to Port nah Abhainne to take more pictures of it, as well as sites along the way.

I posted some pics from today. Most should be understood but the pic that looks like rocks on an island in a loch, is Finlaggan. The rocks are the remains of the fortifications, etc. built by the Lords of the Isles.

Round church, whisky, music, and dancing

2009-05-24T16:06:00.000-04:00

Today started windy and cold, with look of rain. The rain held off but the sun did not shine until late in the day; just in time for dancing.

We started out by driving about 10miles from Port Ellen to Bowmore, where we attended Sunday service at the round church. From there we headed to Bruichladdich distillery for their "open day"at the Feis Ile. All of the distilleries have an open day (different days) but we had not planned on attending them because there is usually some fee to enter, and we could easily spend all week at open days and not visit the other sites we want to see. However, mony folk suggested we attend the Bruichladdich open day because they always have grand weather and put on a good "show".

In any case, we attended the open day, arriving at the correct time (noon) and stayed until aboot 6PM. We saw some folk we had met previously, and even ran into Simon Brooking, Laphroaig's Whisky Ambassador, whom we've met at whisky tastings in the USofA. Late in the day the distillery manager served as the MC for group dancing, that culminated in many of us forming a circle, joining hands, and singing Auld Lang Syne.

Tomorrow we will be touring a distillery (Ardbeg I believe) and then headed to the American Monument at The Oa.

First day on Islay

2009-05-23T18:24:00.000-04:00

So much to tell you! At the moment, Michael and I are relaxing, eating sandwiches in the sitting room at our B&B ‘Samhchair’ (Gaelic for tranquility) on Islay, still feeling the sway of our morning ferry ride here. We arrived at Port Ellen, Islay around noon and were greeted at the dock by our B&B hostess Maggie. Our hired car was there ready for us to drive as well. Michael is doing very well operating on the car’s right side, driving on the left-hand side of the road, roads that are winding and narrow and many that allow only one car to pass at a time. You quickly learn to politely pull over for others who are equally polite and friendly, waving as you pass each other. After unpacking and tea with our hosts, Michael and I drove off to have lunch at the Ardbeg Café at the Ardbeg Distillery then on to the Kildalton Church ruins and cross which is the largest in tact Celtic cross in Scotland. The roofless stone church is surrounded by its equally old cemetery. Inside we found wall sculptures of ancient Celtic soldiers. On our way to this site, we also came upon what could only be described as an ‘enchanted forest’ where the undergrowth was a lush carpet of bluebells and ferns. Stunning beauty! Everywhere you look there are finely crafted ornate stonewalls topped with moss, lichen or ivy. These structures frame the woodlands, frame and divide lush fields and hillsides where sheep and lambs are grazing. We stopped at Lagavulin Distillery to take pictures and met a couple from Colorado out on the pier there. We walked along the beach out to a high rocky hill to photograph the remains of Dunyvaig Castle which once was home to The Lord of the Isles, of the name MacDonald. Driving through Glasgow yesterday and along our 4 hour bus trip to Tarbert, I was struck by all the flowering shrubs already in bloom, things we won’t see until June in NE; rhododendrons, azaleas, golden chain trees, potentilla, bridal wreath, mt. andromeda, clematis as lush as August at home and there are forests of larch trees! Everywhere, you see flowers, buttercups, daisies and others, purple clover and lobelia growing out of rocks and stone walls; sea thrift blooms profusely out of rocks down by the water. By the way, it stays light here until about 9:45 PM. As I write, we are closing in on 9:30 and we are now enjoying a wee nightcap with our hosts and fellow guests. I’m typing on a table by the window overlooking the beach where waves gently lap the shore; craggy green hills rise in the background. We’re looking forward to the morning’s worship at the Round Church in Bowmore tomorrow; a sunny day is expected. So it’s off to bed we go now.

Oidhch mhath (goodnight)
Jacqueline

11:30PM Mike here ...

I stayed up visiting with the other guests. When I posted the blog written by J, and added pictures they show in the exact opposite order loaded. The top pic is the castle, second is the cross, last is the sign at the ferry terminal. I'll post more pics in future, but need to resize them due to them taking so long to upload.

We arrived safely

2009-05-22T17:58:00.001-04:00

But very tired at Heathrow this morning 05:00 or so. Two hours later we were enroute to Glasgow, arriving at about 08:30. Bus to primary bus-hub, waited for 4 hours to board bus to Tarbert. Arrived at Tarbert after about 4 hour bus ride. We had been without sleep since about 5AM (EST) Thursday so we cleaned up, took a nap at our B&B, then went out at 9:00PM for a bit. This entry made at 11:00 PM and it was light until about 30 minutes ago. Tomorrow we will take ferry (about 3 hours) to Islay.

Today's the day, God in the details

2009-05-21T09:13:00.001-04:00

In a few hours we are off to the bus terminal and our journey begins.

Until yesterday we did not have a place to stay in Tarbert but there were no worries. We will be staying at a new B&B, where we will be the first guests. Our hosts will pick us up at the bus, and arrange for transport to the ferry terminal on Saturday.

Islay weather.

2009-05-19T10:52:00.001-04:00

I (Mike) added an RSS feed so oor readers can check the weather and marvel at the rain, wind and other stuff they are missing. To check the weather check the Yahoo link in the upper right-hand corner of the blog. Remember, when reading, that temperature, wind speed, distances, etc. are not degrees "F", mph, and miles they are degrees "C", kph and km.

Eilean Donan Castle (post by Mike)

2009-05-14T19:36:00.000-04:00

Some of oor readers received an email from me several weeks ago in which I described what some would consider a coincidence, but I did not. For those who did receive the e-mail the link in this post is the official website to the castle, therefore you might want to visit the site and take a virtual tour. For those who did not receive that email, here is the back story:

For almost 4 years I have been out of full time work and it's been difficult (for many reasons not only financially) but, especially over the past few months, I've found my way again and am confident God will soon answer the prayers for meaningful, rewarding work. However, late in February, while in the early stages of planning the trip, I was filled with doubt about the wisdom of embarking on such an trip considering the situation.

Well, at the beginning of March we received the Intouch Magazine from Dr. Charles Stanley's Intouch Ministries (http://www.intouch.org/). The cover picture was an unidentified castle that looked familiar. Remembering that I have a book of castles from Celtic Lands, I pulled the book from the shelf. The picture on the cover is of: http://www.eileandonancastle.com/ A few days later I was sitting in my home-office and glanced at the calendar, which is of Scotland. The page needed to be flipped from February to March, and when I flipped the page to March guess what picture was March? Yup, Eilean Donan castle.

Coincidence? I think not. Perhaps God is telling us we are going to Scotland?

Jacqueline's first post

2009-05-11T19:43:00.000-04:00

I think Michael has done a smashing job designing ‘oor’ trip blog. I hope you’re all able to tune in and enjoy the entire journey as well as the many hidden details of our personal bliss and blessings. I wondered what I could possibly add to the masterful work Michael’s already done but as I put pen to paper, these are the thoughts that came tumbling forth: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). This verse of scripture has resonated in my life’s circumstances particularly throughout this past year and is decidedly the hallmark of the love of all things Scottish that Michael and I share, that which has brought us to this miraculous adventure we’re about to embark upon.

First of all, for most of my life I believed I’d descended from 100% French stock, but lo and behold, my sister-in-law Linda Turcotte’s genealogical research some years ago, revealed the Celtic bloodline of the MacDuffs, a clan I’ve come to herald as my own! Michael’s mother Joan Small, a first generation Scots-American, whose mother immigrated to America as an indentured servant in the 1920s, has greatly influenced our love affair with Scotland. We attended our first Highland Games with Joan in Brimfield, Mass. about a dozen years ago. I’ll never forget the thrill I felt hearing the sound of the bagpipes skirling triumphantly as the massed bands poured onto the field. My feet barely skimmed the ground as we followed the bands down the thoroughfare; every fiber in me danced joyously to the beat of the drums. This experience has been repeated over the years each time Michael and I have travelled to the famed NH Highland Games. Like hungry kids in a candy shop with wide smiles fixed upon our faces, we walked on air with hearts enraptured as we devoured characteristics of this rich and spirited culture. We’ve established traditions of those September treks to the NH “Highlands” and to the Robbie Burns Nights celebrated worldwide every January; at home on Sunday evenings, we huddle by the radio to hear lively Celtic music performed on fiddles, harps, drums and pipes, while enjoying a wee dram of our favorite Islay malt.

Webster’s defines the word ‘serendipity’ as an instance of the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. I feel that this describes the surprising, unexpected delight Michael and I have found in our mutual love of Scotland: the desires of our hearts, given to two wee bairns by their loving, knowing Father.

Mise le meas, (Yours faithfully)
Jacqueline

Geneology

2009-05-10T18:09:00.000-04:00

The Aboot Us section has a wee bit of information about our geneology.

For more detail on Clan MacDuff see http://www.clanmacduff.org/ Please note that the real MacDuff bears little, or no, resemblance to Shakespeare's MacDuff in Macbeth.
For more information on Clan Gunn see http://www.clangunnsociety.org/page.php?pagename.
For more information on Clan Donnachaidh see http://www.donnachaidhinternational.com/
For more information on the Border Reiving Robsons see http://www.sorbie.net/border_reivers.htm Note that Robsons lived on both sides of the border between the Scots and the English. I was tempted to refer to the English as Sassenachs, but that term, Sassenach, was also used by Highlanders to refer to lowland Scots.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassenach
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlands_of_Scotland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Lowlands

The journey, schedule, sites to see

2009-05-07T19:40:00.001-04:00

If all goes according to plan, two weeks from today Jacqueline and I will be in the skies headed tae Scotland. Here's the plan:

Bus to Boston (21st)
Flight to Glasgow (arrive on 22nd)
Bus from Glasgow to Kennecraig (stay overnight)
Ferry to Islay (arrive 23rd)
On Islay from 23rd May to 1st June
Depart Islay via flight from Islay to Glasgow
Glasgow to home (arrive home 2 June)

Here is a link to the bus route, in red on the map right side of page:
http://blog.islayinfo.com/article.php/car_journey_glasgow_to_islay

Youtube video of the ferry to Islay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn_5gq0C4O8

While on Islay, these are the two places we will be staying:

http://www.samhchair.co.uk/
http://www.sornbank.co.uk/

Two of the sites to see:

http://www.theroundchurch.org.uk/
http://www.islayinfo.com/islay_kildalton_cross.html

We have booked tours of the following distilleries (I used wiki references because the distillery websites will require you to confirm DOB and where-you-live before you can view the site):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardbeg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laphroaig

We've made a list of many places to see: monuments, ruins, the various towns, etc. Yes, even the distilleries, but we will tour only the two because we have memberships that will allow us to tour those at no cost. We plan to attend a few ceilidhs during the week, but we want to spend most of our time touring the island to see the country side.

We'll once again it's time to sign off. I'll ask Jacqueline to post soon (before we leave) and blog her thoughts and feelings. After our trip begins we will blog when possible including pictures of what we have seen.

First post to Oor Alba Blog (by Mike)

2009-05-06T21:32:00.000-04:00

This will be a means for our family and friends to share in our journey(s). It took me (Mike) some time to decide on a blogname. I originally thought something in Scottish Gaelic would be clever, but since neither of us can speak Gaelic, with the exception of a few phrases, it seemed a bit pretentious. Because we are equally fond of "Scots" (the language) I chose a combination of Scots and Gaelic.

So, to clarify the origin of our blogname: Oor is Scots for our, Alba is the Gaelic (pronounced Gahlick, not GayLick) name for Scotland , and it's our blog. Hence OorAlbaBlog.

Scots, the language, is not English spoken with a Scottish accent; it's a language of its own. Scottish Gaelic is similar to Irish Gaelic (ironically pronounce Gaylick) but a language of its own. One challenge faced when learning Gaelic is that it has only 18 letters: it lacks the consonants J, K, Q, V, W, X and Y. Additionally, the letters it does share with English are sometimes pronounced differently, especially in combination with other letters. Furthermore some words have letters that are not even sounded. Other words, like Alba, are pronounced with a vowel sound that is not even in the word; Alba is pronounced Alabbuh. Lastly, there are sounds made for which there is no English equivalent.

We are headed to an island called Islay (Eye-luh) that is best known for two things: several working distilleries, and was the site (historically) of the home of the Lord of the Isles. From our faith perspective Islay is also home to a round church (so the devil had no corners in which to hide) and a large, intact Celtic cross.

Here are a few links for those who are interested in learning more about Scots, Gaelic, where we are going, and the festival we will attend. Until the next time ....

Oidhche Mhath !!! (Good Night)

Links:

http://www.savegaelic.org/
http://www.scotslanguage.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Isles
http://www.feis.streamlinenettrial.co.uk/index.php