Exploring Arran by van!

Monday, August 17, 2016 (date in journal)

  We closed out our Sunday while sipping on tea, snuggling up to the cozy fire, and enjoying pleasant conversation. Birds sang, crickets chirped, casting a spell of dreaminess over our sweet little cottage.  Sleep came easily in such a place.

   Unfortunately, by the next morning Bob was feeling a bit under the weather and chose to remain at the cottage. Bobby, Maridith, the boys and myself meanwhile gathered the necessary items for an explore. The island is small, so a days drive would reveal much of God's artistry in a short amount of time.

   It was a startling experience to drive over the island of Arran and find ourselves on roads that wound in and around mountains! I have been on an island before but it did not have mountains. Just seems to me like you aught to have vast expanses of land to have room for mountains, however, not so on Arran. But after all they do refer to Arran as Scotland in minature.

  The mountains here and on the mainland don't have a lot of trees. I wondered about that, so when I got home I did a little research and here's what I found:

The ancient Caledonian Forest once covered the Scottish Highlands. Home to bears, beavers, and wolves, its destruction began before the Bronze Age. The forest began to fall to the scythe of climate change and the activities of primitive tribes from pre-Roman times. Subsequent terror campaigns launched by marauding Vikings burned down large areas of forest. Later, farmers and fuel gatherers cleared away most of what remained.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0207_030207_scotforest.html

 

   There is a lot of reforestation going on to try and reclaim the forest Scotland lost. But I discovered an advantage to not having a thick forest covering the mountains, for those spectacular panoramic views were always in sight! So, in time, the forest will be restored and there will always be a way to see beyond the trees, I'm sure.

   In the picture below you will see a rocky little stream running happily down the mountain. I am partial to  clear rocky streams for they offer a chance to get my feet wet. I do love wading, but this time I grabbed a photo instead.

               




This might be what they refer to as a floxglove. I saw them growing in abundance everywhere it seemed. Exquisite! They really dress up and ordinary landscape.












While there were cows and a few horses grazing in pastures (one of my favorite of scenes) more often than not, sheep were to be seen.  I found them to be quite cute. And notice the hay rolls,  covered in black plastic. Here on our farm, the hay rolls are covered in plastic as well, but the color is a sheer green.

 Even old rustic run downed buildings appear uniquely beautiful in this setting.

A sloping hill, draped in soft green grass, with lazy sheep accenting the view. The country gal in me was dazzled.







I think this is enough beauty for the moment. Next time, I will share some pictures of the ocean and a delightful restaurant we visited positioned so as to enjoy the ocean's view.

Our first full day in Lamlash! 8-16-2016

Bob enjoying a snooze in
the tiny but cozy front
yard at our cottage.

This lovely photo hung in the dining
area of our cottage. 

Bobby crashing on the sofa. Notice
the teapot. You can't see it but the
cozy little fireplace was offering its
comfort as well.

Lamlash! From my walk along the
beach. Wouldn't you love to live
here!

   Just some pictorial previews for today's post. The date is August 16, and Bobby and I, along with Shep, are planning on going to church. Bob, Maridith, & Roscoe are having a much needed sleep in. We hopped into the van and set out for a  Lamlash excursion and to attend services at Lamlash Church of Scotland.
   Services started at 11:30, so we left a bit early to have time to walk around the village and drop by one of Shep's favorite spots–the playground. He never gets enough of playground fun!
   We first walked down to the rocky beach. There was a man standing nearby throwing rocks into the water. I noticed my little man stood still, gazing at this man. Next, he bent down, picked up a rock and threw it into the water. Our friendly stranger not being aware of the silent instruction he had just given my grandson!

Shep watching the stranger!

Showing Dad about rock throwing!

 The breeze was gentle and cool, making me glad I had worn my shawl. I pulled my shawl tightly around me, listening to the quiet, lazy waves lapping upon the beach, basking in this moment my son, grandson, and I were enjoying together.

The throws the rock! Fun idea that
stranger had!

Next, he picks up the rock,

Following our beach adventure, we strolled up the bank to the playground nearby. This particular playground sported a metal skeleton of a plane. And as Shep is into planes at present, his imagination was in full gear as he climbed all over it.

   Our next stroll found us heading toward the church being lulled along the way by the strands of Amazing Grace emerging from the church's bell tower. (I did make a video of those lovely bells, but sad to say they were accidentally deleted from my phone before I had the good sense to transfer them to my computer)

Notice the minister is a lady.
The church we visited in
Edinburgh also had
a lady minister the
day we were there. 

The bell tower just above my
right shoulder was peeling
forth the beautiful hymn
Amazing Grace!

   Shep lasted only for a short while as he needed his blanket to feel calm and quiet. Eventually, Bobby had to take him back to

the cottage while I remained for the rest of the service. We were guided through the service by a program which listed the songs that were to be sung. Similar to services back home, but with the addition of readings from the congregation.  Most of the congregation was made up of older individuals. Seems to be the case in the traditional churches we attended. (Not so at Larkhall, however!)

   The minister spoke on love and as Bobby & I were discussing the service at lunch after he had returned, it was concluded that it was a type of generic sermon. You could substitute Jesus's name for any other leader of another religion and make the same points. The one thing we both noticed was there was little, if any, talk of sacrifice or obedience to scriptural truths. Yet, when I looked at their website, I noticed there were plenty of activities for church members to reach out into their community and serve their neighbors. 

   We stopped by the small grocery store so Bobby could get the ingredients to make a seafood dish when he got back to the cottage. On the way back, I asked Bobby to let me off at the bridge near the driveway so I could check out the souvenir store nearby. I enjoyed looking around, but came away with only a couple of free magazines.

   With my two free magazines, I strolled up the driveway (you stroll everywhere here, slow and deliberate so as to enjoy every precious moment) and was greeted upon entering the back door by a fishy aroma! From the remarks of the others, it was a delicious fish soup, but my tastes don't really prefer fishy flavors. However, the scones topped with cheese that were served with the main dish, I found to be quite tasty. So, everybody was happy!

   We all spent the rest of the day relaxing. The chilly air coaxed us to turn on the furnace, but not too high. For our  little fireplace offered the perfect accompaniment to a cup of hot tea, flavored with cream! (you know, I developed a taste for drinking my tea hot with cream! Now that's saying something for an American Southern girl who likes her tea brewed, made cold with ice, and sweetened with sugar), as we closed out our first full day here in Arran. 

   Until next time,

Arriving Arran, ahhhh! - August 14, 2015

     I want to start out this post with something my friend, Kate, reminded me of in her comments to my last post, Goodbye (temporarily) Larkhall and Hello Arran. I can't believe I didn't even record this in my journal.

    Right before we were to leave Larkhall, Bobby came to us with a message he had just received from the man who had rented us the cottage in Arran. Seems he wasn't going to be able to open up the cottage for us after all!!!!! There was an issue about him not being able to prepare the rooms for our imminent arrival!!!!! Talk about throwing cold water into the face of our expectations! Now a few hours before we were to leave for the cottage, the image we had of living in that sweet little cottage began to fade!  We told our landlord that we would be happy to do the necessary preparations ourselves, whatever it took, for us to still be able to proceed as had been happily dreamed of for months. What a calamity! We knew nothing to do but to pray! But honestly, I found it a little hard to believe that this would be snatched from us at such a late hour! (So much so, that I remained calm and undisturbed. Not even writing about it in my journal!) A few hours later, Bobby informed us that our landlord had relented and assured us that the issues had been resolved and we could proceed with our plans!!!!!  Whew!!! That was way too close!!!

*     *     *     *     *

                                   

     We said farewell to our new friends who had become like family, gratified that we would return in a week for one last visit with them before leaving Scotland.
     The drive through the lush green countryside was a feast of beautiful images of stoned lined pastures filled with sheep, cows, and even horses. Of course, this being Scotland, sheep outnumbered the cows, and I had to look quick to see the horses, but there were there and I was pleased.  Rural cottages dotted the landscape, a matching counterpart to the peaceful pastoral scenes we were privileged to gaze upon as we made our way to Arran.

Just a few of the amateur photos I took with my iPhone as we moved down the highway. Though not the best, I do hope you can catch a glimpse of what I'm trying to describe!

 

Proof that I did see horses!

    

                                                           
   After about a 2 hour drive, we arrived at Ardrossan Harbour, where we, while in our van, would board the ferry to Arran. Here are a few pictures to describe our journey!

Queuing up!

 

                               

                                        The Firth of Clyde waters

Traditional Scottish breakfast

Cold and very windy

 

There she is, Arran, and wouldn't you know it a castle!

                                   

Until next time,

Goodbye (temporarily) Larkhall and Hello Arran! 8/14/15

April 6, 2016
 

    Rachel, Bob, Janet, Stuart, Sarah, & Benny                                                                    

                                                                     

 Marcos & Kate and Kate's mom, Dorothy!

It was time to bid farewell to the two families who had hosted us while in Larkhall. How is it possible that such a short acquaintance could produce a friendship that felt as comfortable as if we had known each other all our lives? Being bound together in Christ explains this beautiful phenomenon! For we are members of the same family, the family of God!

The Isle of Arran 

Driving through the lush green countryside of Ayrshire, as we made our way to board the ferry that would carry us to Arran, was as pleasant as this country gal could have ever imagined. Sheep and cows grazed peacefully in the pastures lined with stone fences, and now and then, my eyes would delight in seeing horses among them. I never quite got over the dreamy reality of my presence here. 

Eventually, we came to the coast where we were to board the ferry that would transport us to Arran. Bobby chose this location because in visiting Arran it would be like experiencing Scotland in miniature. Therefore, in just a few days, we would travel through the highlands and lowlands which divides Arran, just as if we were on the mainland of Scotland. Perfect!

Croc Cottage

 This internet photograph was my first glimpse of the charming little cottage where we were to spend our blissful time on Arran. I can tell you the heart of this country gal was a bit overwhelmed by this photo. I couldn't imagine that such a place existed. But it did! And when we finally reached this little bit of heaven on earth, I was wonderfully overwhelmed all over again!

Croc Cottage is tucked away at the end of a lazy little path of a road. It does have a smaller cottage directly behind it, but as it was inhabited only by the owner of the properties, it afforded all the seclusion we could have desired. 

We pulled in behind the cottage, and upon entering we discovered a compact kitchen complete with all the necessary appliances; even a washer/dryer combo (never seen such a thing until I came to Scotland). The dining area, along with a roomy table, provided a buffet laden with plates, cups, drinking glasses, and silverware. There was nothing to add that a trip to the local grocery store wouldn't provide.

Off the hall that divided the living area from the dining area, was the singular bathroom containing a shower. All we had to do was plan ahead to accommodate shower schedules-no problem! Before entering the living room, we climbed the stairs to see the bedrooms. On either side were two more than adequate size bedrooms (one with a kingsize bed and the other with a queen size bed), each with a window to gaze from. Between them was a cozy little bedroom where Shep would sleep. 

But the snug little living room held the sweetest surprise of all; a comfy fireplace ladened with a good supply of wood. And in addition to this aged charm, we even enjoyed the pleasant convenience of modern day tv and wifi! Indeed, our cup was full and running over!

We moved in and happily settled into the dreamy coziness of our homy little cottage. 

Until next time,

Winding up our first visit to Larkhall!

   As I stood there spellbound listening to the various piper bands, taking in the diverse colors of the tartans, and all the accoutrements that made up the highland dress, something stirred deep within me. Can't explain why; it just happens!

   Did you know there was a time when it was illegal for the highlanders to wear their tartan's? It was after the Battle at Culloden in 1746 where Bonnie Prince Charlie (who was desperate to put the Stuart's back on the throne) and his Jacobite (clans of the Highlands) supporters were finally routed by the royal army of England. After that the Dress Act 1746 was instituted to punish the highlanders who had supported Charles. However, it was repealed in 1782.

Ever wondered about the significance of the details of the highland dress? I will attempt to briefly explain. 

the Kilt

The kilt is a knee-length garment of a tartan pattern of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colors. (Most clans had their own tartan patters)

the Sporran

The sporran (a Gaelic word for purse) is a pouch that functioned as a pocket since the kilt had no pockets. It is attached with a leather strap or chain.

the Ghillie brogues

   The ghillie brogues are traditional thick soled shoes with no tongues and long laces. Why? The laces wrapped & tied above the ankles kept them from getting pulled off in the mud. No tongues so the wearers feet could dry more quickly in the damp Scottish weather. BTW, a ghillie is a traditional Scottish gamekeeper and outdoorsman. 

the Sgian-dubh

The sgian-dubh (don't ask me to pronounce it) is a small single-edged knife tucked in the top of the hose. Traditionally it was used as protection or for the cutting up of food. 

Now for the bus tour:

Pamphlet for the tour

Route of the tour

   The piper competition concluded close to lunch time and since no one was interested in breaking up the company just yet, we walked over to a pub/restaurant nearby to continue our visit. At this pub people were just standing up to the bar while they chatted and drank. There were a few tall tables nearby that served the same purpose as the bar.

   Sarah scouted for a table for us. Fish and chips were ordered while Francis and I ordered a jacketed potato (that's a baked potato) with chili. Just a good ole American meal as far as I was concerned. 

   Well, we finally had to part and Bob, Sarah, and I decided we would take the bus tour after all. The double decker bus was opened at the top and we first opted to take a seat in the rear. Yet, after we fought the chilly wind, we decided we needed to move up front to the covered area. 

   Glasgow isn't as clean cut looking as American cities. I suppose it is due to the fact that some buildings are quite old and still bore the smog stains of earlier days. Glasgow has made a successful effort in cleaning things up though. There isn't as much consistency of architecture since you have a mixture of buildings from the 1800's and even a couple from the 15th century, right along with modern buildings. 

   I found it wasn't fair to compare Glasgow or Edinburgh to cities here in the U.S. These cities have a character unique to their long, long history, and that only led to their charm, in my opinion. Being tired and a bit cold, we left the tour early and got on the commuter train to return to Larkhall. 

   We arrived back and enjoyed a lovely fellowship with a couple who were close friends of the Wadsworth's, Steve and Evon. They were former missionaries with Pioneer Missions who now lived in Larkhall and were close friends of the Wadsworth's.  As it turned out they had studied at the same language school in Paris as Bobby & Maridith. Small world, right!

   Shared a tasty Scottish meal of haggis, with mashed potatoes, turnips, and gravy and afterwards packed up to leave the next morning. It is good to know that we will return here after our visit to the Isle of Arran, for Larkhall had become 'home' to us.

Old city; New friends!

8/15/16

Capturing a selfie as we strolled the streets of Glasgow
on our way to St. George's Square!

   Perhaps, like me, you knew nothing about St. George's Square? Therefore for your benefit (and mine) here's a bit of history that explains the significance of the place.

St. George's Square

George Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow. It is named after King George III (king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760-1801, and the infamous king who provoked the Boston Tea Party and eventually the American Revolution). The square was laid out in 1781 and is the home today of the Glasgow City Council. It boasts an important collection of statues and monuments, Robert Burns (famous Scottish poet 1759-1796, author of Auld Lang Syne), James Watt (inventor of the Watt steam engine, 1736-1819), and Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832, historical novelist-remember Ivanhoe or Rob Roy?).  

Our new and immediate dear friends.
Sam & Frances

Behind us is the pipers. My cup runneth over!

You know how you meet some people and immediately you feel you have known them all your life. That was Sam & Frances. Warm, friendly, kind, hospitable; genuinely Scottish. My life was enriched beyond my expectations for having been introduced to them by Sarah. Friends forever, now! My true Scottish treasures.

Now, listen to the pipers. Unfortunately, you won't have the benefit of Sam's beautiful Scottish accent enhancing the music with his comments, but you will find a way to enjoy it I'm sure. (I naturally assume that everyone loves bagpipe music as I do, but realistically I know you might not. So for those of you who enjoy the pipers as I do, enjoy!)

   

   

 

If you listen carefully you can faintly hear
my friend Sam narrating the performance.

              

And may I offer a bit of practical advice! Don't ever refer to a Scottish kilt as a skirt. Sam told me that some have lost their lives for this unfortunate slip of the tongue. And I won't tell you why he felt the need to give me such advice!!!!!