Hellos and goodbyes

The one year mark has come and past. On this day last year we had just arrived in Glasgow and spent a rather difficult day searching for bank accounts, national insurance numbers and cell phones. Rereading my post from that day brings back the overwhelming feelings I had of both frustration and hope.

 

We felt completely indestructible when we left Calgary that day a year ago. When we tearfully said goodbye to our families at the entrance to security in the airport, we looked at each other and said well, it’s you and me against the world now. And I have to say that we’ve done a pretty good job against this great big world.

 

Now on this blog I’ve kept everyone up to date with all the fun things and amazing places we’ve seen. It might seem like we’ve really just been on an extended vacation. And while this year has had elements of that, vacation is far, far from the reality that we’ve lived here. We had to start this life we’ve lived from the beginning. Everything that you take for granted back home like a bank account or a SIN number, those things that you got as you were growing up or your parents started for you, we had to do here all very quickly without any help. The first two banks we talked to basically told us no thanks, flat rental agencies were skeptical of us being foreign, the job centre people didn’t understand what it was we were doing trying to take jobs away from locals. And as much as this country speaks English, definitions, connotations and accents were far from easy to understand in the beginning.

 

My difficulty letting go of my identity as a Coast Paper employee lead to entirely too much time being unemployed. And even though I have had a job for the past ten months, that didn’t bring in nearly as much money as we’d hoped. We didn’t allow this to hold us back or keep us from doing the things that made us happy, but it definitely didn’t make it easy. Both of Brandon’s jobs have caused him so, so much stress and he’s been tired for an entire year. Physically and mentally he is exhausted. But he’s kept everything together and been an absolute rock this entire time.

 

Life here in Edinburgh has not been easy. But we have had a whole lot of fun. We’ve met some amazing people who have helped us through and given us so much. We were given some advice when we left Canada to get in a pipe band as soon as possible - that would ensure we had people. And that was really some of the best advice ever given. The friendships we made with the people in our respective bands (and a few that overlapped) have been essential to us. Without the girls in the tenor corps, I wouldn’t have had a social life. I wouldn’t have had people to text when I had exciting news, wouldn’t have someone to take me to the craft store, meet for lunch, go hike up a hill or sit in the pub with. Brandon wouldn’t have had someone to travel to practice with, go for cheeky MacDonald’s, attend games days and competitions, spend a week soaking up island life, or talk pipes with for hours on end. Saying goodbye to all of these people is going to be difficult. They’ve really made a difference in our lives that won’t ever be forgotten.

 

We’ve been so lucky to have entertained so many visitors in this year. The hellos at the airports and train stations were unforgettable. We’ve felt so loved and so missed this whole time and re-energized and re-excited to see the sights with each of our visitors, even though I could run my own tour company at this point! Each of my seven trips to Craigmillar Castle was worth it. I feel privileged to have introduced so many people to Scotland and to have shared my love of this magical place with them.

 

Our flat has been an adventure in itself. We’ve had to learn how to avoid dampness, to expect the hot water to take forever, how to bathe using an electric shower, heat an under insulated home so it doesn’t cost a fortune, how to cook without an oven, how to do laundry and get it dry when it’s almost always raining outside, and how to sleep in a seriously small bed. But it’s all taught us how to be comfortable with just what we actually need instead of all the things we want. And that the best way to keep warm in a cold, damp winter involves two people, a TV movie, a couch and a big cozy blanket!

 

We’ve lived life here. There are things we’re both going to miss, the very least of which is chips, cheese and gravy from The Clam Shell on the Royal Mile. We learned how to grocery shop when the shelves hold things very different from what we’re used to and the names are strange:

 

Courgette = Zucchini

Coriander = Cilantro

Aubergine = Eggplant

 

We say strange words and use inflections that are not Canadian at all. And we’ve learned how to live life without a car. Very little of what we’ve learned or come to love will be easy to do without.

 

This is our last week at 18 Elgin Terrace. We move out on Tuesday with just what we brought in - a backpack each. All of the extra bits and pieces that we acquired along the way are either back in Canada already, in a box ready to spend the next eight weeks in the care of the mail system, or in Ikea bags going to a friend who’s just setting up his new flat. And suddenly it feels like there’s not enough time. We’re being treated to some fun with work and pipe band friends this weekend and on Monday we’ll spend a few hours saying goodbye to the city that has given us so much and been such a character in so many of our stories.

 

Our memories of this year may fade. My ability to recall where every photo was taken may not last forever. But Edinburgh will never be far from our thoughts because this year has truly shaped who we now are. As individuals and as a couple. And I can truly say that we have lived here. We’ve experienced as much as we could and adapted ourselves as much as we could to a Scottish life.

 

~

 

But up next…vacation! Amsterdam, Rome, Ancona, and a Croatian cruise. And then, on October 21^st, that big Canadian flag on the wall in the customs hall in the Calgary airport will have never looked sweeter.

Handfast

Yesterday was a very important day. Not only did it mark the one year anniversary of our arrival in Great Britain, it was also the day that Brandon and I promised to marry each other in a Celtic handfasting ceremony.

 

First, a little background. For centuries, various groups of people and religions have used ceremonies that involved physically tying the couple's hands together as part of their marriage rites. I've read many, many stories explaining the background of this process, but the one I like the best stems from a time when priests would travel from village to village taking care of the religious needs of a very large area. Because it would often be a long time before a priest would be available to marry a couple, sometimes they would stand before their community and commit to live together as husband and wife for the time period of a year and a day. If the priest came by in that time, they'd be legally married and all would be well. If he didn't however, they could decide to either continue on as married or end the relationship and part ways. The tying of their hands together with a strip of cloth called a ban was symbolic of the joining of two lives and also of their commitment to each other.

 

Our good friends Jesse and Katie gave us the idea and the name of their wedding officiant, Scot, who tailors ceremonies to each couple he works with. He's a tradition keeper - a story teller. We placed a lot of trust in him and didn't actually meet or talk to him in person until we saw him at Craigmillar Park in our ceremony space yesterday. We didn't know what to expect the ceremony to be like, we didn't know what we were supposed to do or even wear. But what did happen was nothing short of perfect. We made promises to each other, exchanged small gifts, and created an experience that is truly unique and totally us.

 

I won't be able to describe the entire ceremony here, it was over much too quickly and I was so wrapped up in the moment that I'm actually having trouble remembering it all already. There is video! I'm so grateful for that. But a few highlights were Brandon promising to always provide me with potatoes, me promising to let him help with the housework, and Brandon lifting me up one handed for a grand celebratory kiss while our hands were still tied together. One moment I will never forget is how the wind picked up and blew hard through the tree in front of us as Scot called on the element of air to be a part of our ceremony. And then, as he called out fire, the clouds parted and the sun shone bright and hot. It felt like we were doing something powerful, something meaningful and perfect right in that moment.

 

But quite possibly the best part was Scot tying our hands together with the beautiful ban that Wendy helped me make. He had us close our eyes, focus on our own breath and heart beat and then change the focus to feel the other person's breath and heart beat fit in beside our own. Looking back on that today, I can't help but think that's really what being a partner to someone is all about. And how interesting that right from the beginning of our relationship I've said how perfectly Brandon fit into every empty little spot I had in my life. I feel like my spirit - or maybe it's the space I take up on the earth - is bigger and more important because he's beside me.

 

Brandon put it very well last night that he feels officially engaged now. And really, that's the perfect way to say it. We've really chosen each other and made it official that we will get married some day soon. Pictures to come!

Chop, chop, chop, chop, chopping!

I will never get tired of this TV commercial!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MspN-CBOTaw

Highland Road Trip

On Thursday the 30^th of August, Brandon, Sandy and I set out early in the morning for quite the adventure. The day started bright and early with a 6:15 taxi to Waverly Bridge where we boarded the airport shuttle bus. Coffee was the first order of the day and once we’d picked that up, we made our way to the car rental building. We had reserved a large compact but as luck would have it, they didn’t have one in that morning in automatic so they upgraded us for free to a four wheel drive Kia Sorento that we affectionately named Katie the Kia.

 

Happy to be driving!

Keeper of the map!

Katie the Kia

 

 

Feeling a little posh and brave in our big car, I, being the principle driver for the day, pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the motorway. Two roundabouts and an easy merge and away we went. We made for Stirling first where the roundabout situation got a little dicey. I had to go all the way around one because I missed the proper exit and then got honked at in another because I had no idea where I was going or even if I was in a lane. But eventually we found the last one and headed out of Stirling in the shadow of the castle on the way north to the highlands.

 

Only thing is, I took the wrong exit. The map we had was very small and most of the towns and roads we passed weren’t on it. So by the time we were starting to get worried about where we were we had no idea of how to find out. We pulled at a furniture maker’s shop in a tiny little town and Brandon got enough advice and directions to get us back onto a more major road. The one really good thing about our little detour is that we ended up eventually at Loch Lomond. Totally unplanned but really good none the less! We stopped for a few pictures and it’s just as gorgeous as I remember it from back in 2008 when I had a cruise on the loch with the bus tour I was on.

 

"You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland before you"...we sang it as we drove away!

 

 

From there we were back on the road and trucking along. We made a few photo stops, the best of which at Glencoe. We’d all been through here before but the view never disappoints. And being a warm, clear day it was nice to get out and stretch a bit. The sight, though famous for the massacre of the MacDonald clan by the Campbell’s, takes your breath away for it’s beauty instead of any monument to that tragedy.

 

Brandon took off down the hill to investigate this waterfall while Sandy and I stayed up above.

Would like to go back someday to hike along the trails all through the glen.

 

 

Back in the car and we were on the road a short time to Fort William where we got a quick lunch at McDonald’s and were on our way again. We made all the right turns coming out of town this time and were on the correct roads so we sailed up to our intended destination, Eilean Donan Castle.

 

 

It’s easy to see why this is one of the most photographed castles in the UK. It’s stunning and romantic and every bit a character in every fairy tale I’ve ever imagined. It sits at the meeting point of three lochs on it’s own small island. You cross a vaulted bridge to get to it and can see where the tidal flow surrounds it every evening. The structure, in some form, has been there on that island since the 13^th century. Because it holds such a strategic position at the meeting of the lochs, it has always been a stronghold and it has seen many battles. It was partially destroyed in 1719 during a Jacobite uprising and lay in ruins for nearly 200 years. The castle as it stands now has only been there since 1932,and that only after 20 years of restoration. The inside is not as dramatic as you’d kind of hope it to be and not at all like what it looks like in the movie Made of Honour. But the great hall is pretty cool and was once used as a chapel instead of a dining space, and there’s even a set of bag pipes hanging on the wall of the musicians loft ready to entertain. No photography allowed inside I’m afraid so I can’t show you what it looked like. But the pictures from outside were much more dramatic anyway. We made a quick phone call to my mom back in Canada so that we could wave at her on the webcam and then made our way back to the car.

 

 

From here we continued up the road just a bit into the town of Dornie. From memory and Google Earth, I had some idea of how to find a hill top view point that I’d seen on my tour of Scotland with my brother in 2008. At that time, even with a group of 30 other people around me, I knew that this was a magical place. I described it in my journal from that trip as a Place with a capital P. It’s where my heart felt happy and where I knew that once to this country was not going to be enough. Sitting there that day I felt absolute calm and I wanted to burn the sights I was seeing into my memory.

 

And we found it.

 

 

As we drove up the road, higher and higher and around tight turns praying not to meet another vehicle, I just felt like it was right. And rounding one bend, there it was! I pulled the car into a passing place and was crying before my feet hit the gravel. Built up anticipation and a little adrenalin kicked in and we quickly got through the gate and onto the grass and…I was home.

 

 

I don’t know if I can properly describe it. It’s…well, it’s where you’re supposed to be at that exact moment in your life and everything is absolutely right in that moment because you’re there. I was worried it wouldn’t feel the same but it did completely. And it was only better because I could share it with Brandon. This hill I’d been talking about for years and hoping for so long that we could find was finally real to him too and he understood exactly why it was such a magical place for me.

 

 

On my mom’s suggestion I took along something to represent me that I could bury and therefore leave a part of me in the highlands. So I took a tiny Canadian flag, dug a little hole with a spoon, added a piece of heather for good measure and covered it all back up again.

 

 

 

 I don’t know if I’ll be back there again but everything we’ve done this year, all the hardship we’ve seen and loneliness we’ve felt has been worth it just to see that place again. I bawled and laughed and time just kind of stood still for a bit as we held onto each other and marvelled at what we were seeing.

Sandy very sweetly named the spot Carmen's Peak before we left.

 

 

But we had to go. We made our way back up the car and just before getting in noticed some animals on their way to meet us. At first I couldn’t figure out what they were but as they got closer Sandy declared them wild boar! Not wanting to find out if they were friendly or if they would live up to their reputation, we all got in the car and took pictures from the windows. They didn’t seem all that interested in us and continued their way down the road. Brandon took over the driving for a bit here and as he passed them very cautiously as we drove away just in case they decided to jump in front of the car. How would you even begin to explain that story to the car rental guy?!?

 

 

All too soon we were back on the main road and we retraced our route back through Fort William and Glencoe, stopping now and then for really good photos. As night came on, and I was back behind the wheel, I got a little braver with driving. Maybe not seeing the edges of the road as clearly made it not as scary - not too sure. But after a few close calls during the day which had me rubbing curbs and freaking out as someone came around a corner over the centre line, I wasn’t going to complain too much about feeling more comfortable. We were all starting to get sleepy though and by the time we saw Stirling and found our way onto the motorway we were happy to be nearing home. We were also starting to understand why people thought we were crazy to take this journey all in one day. A long drive for locals is three hours - you would never attempt more than that in one day! Are you crazy? But although it doesn’t look that far on the map and the number of miles doesn’t seem all that bad, those no-shoulder twisty-up-and-down roads are stressful. I was glad to see the roundabout entrance for the airport and the exit to the Enterprise car drop off.

 

It was a long and emotional day but so worth every moment. And though we may have worn her out a little bit, I think it was a great way to start Sandy’s visit. And one of the very best of this year so far.

 

 

Notice

Well, word is officially out. We gave notice for our flat, our pipe bands know we're not returning next season, Brandon's told his boss, and today I submitted my resignation letter at work. September 30th marks the end of living in Scotland. I'm not sure how I feel about this all yet so I'm not going to write a whole lot about it at this point. But I will say we're both ready to be Canada bound. But not before we see a bit more of the world! Plans are in the works for a few weeks of adventure before we head west so no return to Alberta date just yet but stay tuned!

In the mean time, we're awaiting Brandon's mom's arrival. Due to some confusion on both sides of the Atlantic, when we were in Glasgow to pick her up this morning she was still sleeping at home in Calgary. Oops! We have big plans for her two week visit so there should be some amazing photos coming soon. Including heather in bloom on a hill where I left part of my heart behind in 2008. I can't wait!

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was my parent's 35th wedding anniversary. I'm so proud to come from such a loving and caring home and to have such an example on which to build my relationship with Brandon. And I love that I was able to help them celebrate when they came to visit us in April.

I love you Mom and Dad!

At Edinburgh Castle

Beach combing at South Queensferry

Hiding from the rain in York

A month?!

Well, it’s safe to say I’m really bad at this blogging thing. A month since my last post? That’s crazy! Terrible. Right so let’s catch up.

Crystal and Mick came to visit! They landed in Manchester, spent two days in York and then made their way on the train here to Edinburgh. We were all a little worried about them making it here on time because of the wide-spread flooding and landslides that were happening all along the rail line between York and Edinburgh. But with only a few minutes delay, we found them at the train station and proceeded to spend an awesome week with them. Rosslyn Chapel, Craigmillar Castle, Edinburgh Castle, a day out to St. Andrews, the Royal Yacht, underground tours, Build a Bear, Royal spotting and lots of shopping were highlights of their time with us. But the best by far was the morning we spent at the zoo. Brandon and I had yet to make it there and we’re so glad we waited so we could spend the time there with our friends. It is a beautiful zoo with amazing enclosures that we all thought were much better than we’ve seen before.

It's hard to be a panda

Mmmm bamboo

Meerkats

The chimpanzee exhibit

A baby pygmy hippo

Penguins!

These two traded positions sitting on their egg

The fabulous grassland with zebras

Crystal and Mick showing me their primate warning faces!

It felt like the week went by much, much too quickly. But I was struck by how easy it was for them to be here. I know that they were on vacation, but it just felt like normal…going for coffee and shopping in the mall was just like back home. It’s amazing to know that though we’re so far away, the people that are important to us in Canada are going to still be there when we return. One other major highlight was going to try on wedding dresses with Crystal. It’s amazing to have shared in that moment with her a few years ago and then to share it again when it was my turn in the dressing room!

We had a lovely breakfast at McDonald’s the morning they boarded their train headed back to Manchester. And as we waved goodbye on them platform I was so sad to see them go.

We had a couple of weeks to ourselves and then my brother Colin arrived for his visit on the 25^th of July. He’d spent the two weeks prior enjoying a bus tour of Ireland and I think he was happy to be able to spread out a bit and do some laundry. The first couple of days we really took it easy but still managed to get around and see a lot of Edinburgh. Having been here before in 2008, he didn’t feel the need to see the castle which was fine by me. I had a good work schedule that week so we went to Holyrood Palace, Craigmillar Castle, Gilmerton Cove, Rosslyn Chapel, Queensferry to see the bridges and have a nice dinner, and shared all our favourite haunts with him. All three of us went to Loch Leven Castle one day and he had a great time on a Mary King’s Close tour and on a day long tour to Northumberland.

The major attraction for Colin’s visit however was our evening out at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Having friends in high places - some of my Calgary Highlanders band mates are playing in the show this year - I was able to get us free tickets for the preview performance night. Unfortunately Brandon got stuck at work so he wasn’t able to come with us but Colin and I had a great time. I’m not surprised that it sells out every year and that it is such a draw for the thousands of tourists who come to see it.

The Tattoo was a good way to end out his trip and Colin and I made our way to the airport early the next morning. He flew away to London to catch his connecting flight to Calgary and I returned home to catch a few more hours sleep before going to work. But again, as we said goodbye I was struck with how lucky we are to have had so many people spend time and money to come and see the life we’ve created here. I love that we’ve been the reason that people have come and fallen in love with Scotland. Visit Scotland really does owe us some royalties!

Switching gears just the morning after Colin left, I turned my attention back to pipe band. Saturday the 4^th of August was the competition at North Berwick. Being the first day out for all the foreign bands in the lead up to World‘s week, we were excited to test our play against some new competition. We placed fourth behind three bands from the USA, Canada and New Zealand. North Berwick games also runs a “contest within a contest” called the Confined Result. This means the bands from the Lothian and Borders area are also judged against only each other. We came first in this result and first for drumming as well. It was so odd to see people we know from Canada there and hear accents that were really out of place. But I got to meet some of Brandon's old friends from the College of Piping in PEI which was great and because his band wasn't playing that day, he got to catch up and visit with loads of people.

That began the two week final push to the World Championships in Glasgow on August 11^th. We practiced four nights the week before and I think we were all feeling pretty good, if not a little tired of each other, on Saturday morning. We arrived at the park, had some time to wander around and then got down to business tuning and warming up. It was finally our turn at the line at about 3:50 and we felt pretty good about the play when we left the circle. And then we waited. I wandered around the park with Wendy, a fellow tenor drummer, spent some time with Brandon as he was of course there with his band too, and kind of just enjoyed the strangely warm and sunny afternoon. Finally we marched into the massed band area and waited along with about 235 other bands - amounting to approximately 8000 players - for the results of the day.

A view of the grade one arena

Our brand new snare drums

We played for the junior drum major competition just after we finished playing our MSR. I stole this photo from a bandmate's mom on Facebook!

The Shotts and Dykehead drum corps putting on a show

Now it’s worth stating that it takes a very, very long time to get results at a Scottish competition. There are speeches from the chieftan and the town mayor and a representative from the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association. Then they announce the winners of the drum major’s competitions before they get to the bands. Prizes are awarded to the top six bands in every grade and on a day like the Worlds, there are eight grade categories. Each prize has a trophy or a plaque, each named for the group or person who has donated it and all those names are announced before the name of the band who’s won it. While this is all very important, but oh man it takes a long time to get to your grade!

A view from our place at the back of the massed band

I took this photo of the screen to show just how many people/bands there were on the field. The people under the screen are at the very back of the square.

On Saturday though, when they finally did get to grade 3a, we were ready to cheer when they said our name. Coming in at fifth place out of 24 bands, the City of Edinburgh Pipe Band! And typing that even now has me blinking away tears. Not only did I not in a million years expect to be playing in the World Championships, I would’ve laughed at anyone who said I’d be part of a prize winning band. There were hugs all around and loads of happy faces and photos with our trophy when the pipe major made it back through the crowd.

Hooray!

Me and Wendy

Sharing the day with Brandon was amazing even though we didn’t get to spend all that much time together. His band, being grade one had to play twice throughout the day and there was much, much more pressure there. Tickets to sit in the bleachers to watch the grade one contest run for about 25 Pounds and were sold out by the Tuesday before. But the time we did get together was great. I’m so amazingly proud to see him in his uniform and to watch him tuning drones and being such a huge part of what ended up a ninth place finish for Fife Constabulary. He’s put so much work and effort, both physically and emotionally into the band. That’s one thing I love about him - he puts his whole self into everything he commits to. And to be there in Glasgow Green together so many months after we saw it in October from the top of a city tour bus on a really, really tough day was fabulous. Add in the band uniforms and it was positively brilliant! But the season isn’t through yet. Two weeks from now we will be playing at the Cowal Gathering where we get to put the kilts on and do it all over again.

The best photo of the day!

One thing we both noticed though is that being there in Glasgow for the Worlds wasn’t quite as big of a deal as we thought it was going to be. When it all comes down to it, it’s just another games day…there’s just bigger TV cameras and waaaaaay more people.