I have completed my task

My friend in Scotland worked as a domestic in a small care home for a few months. When someone noted that she had quit her job, she replied that she would prefer to say that she had completed her task! Well, I'd like to announce that I have completed my task at Parkside! It was a great day at work - the staff had bought a farewell cake, flowers, a present and a card. I felt loved. The day before, one of the girls had told me to bring a change of clothes, and it's a good thing I did because as I left the building they showered me with eggs, flour and red sauce! They reassured me that they only do this for those they like. Sorry, no picture of the mess because the cameras batteries had died.

Off to the Scottish Highlands

From June 14 -20th Randy and I went to visit friends in Scotland. We flew to Edinburgh and stayed overnight and then headed up to Inverness by bus the next morning. The trip through the highlands was beautiful! Our friends George and Ethel met us there and took us to stay with them at their home in Cullen - a picturesque fishing village on the north coast of Scotland.




They have a Labradoodle dog called Bradley that weighs around 100 lbs and is full of life. Bradley added lots of fun to our visit there.




We enjoyed wonderful meals and great day trips to see Spey Bay, Walker's shortbread factory and the Brodie visitor centre. The area is also home to Baxter's factory and a dozen or more whiskey distilleries. We visited friends we met who had been to Mortlach, Saskatchewan a couple of years ago and they sent back a bottle of Macallan's whiskey for us! Any suggestions for it? On Sunday we attended the Old Kirk in Cullen - it was pre-Reformation and still has the laird's box and the seating in the shape of the cross. We were also able to spend a couple days with the Friesens in Edinburgh exploring museums and art galleries and breathing in the good Scottish air while we strolled along Princes Street and the Royal Mile.

You'd love our neighbours!

When we returned from Scotland on Wednesday our neighbour met us at the airport. When we got home we found that his wife had made a lovely meal for evening tea and had it waiting for us on our kitchen cupboard (and she had also bought fresh milk and bread and left them in the fridge). We have been so blessed to have such kindness shown to us!

Cousin Judith's visit

My cousin Judith and her husband Duncan came for a visit in Northern Ireland. Judith is just a couple of years older than I am but has always had the reputation of being the crazy, fun-loving, unpredictable one. They get the points for being the only company we have had that we didn't pick up at the airport; in fact, they drove us to the airport when we left for Scotland. Yes we abandoned our company! We left in the evening and they left the next morning. Don't worry--we won't make a habit of it. While she was here we phoned back to Brandon to talk to Aunt Rose visiting from BC and Judith's mom, Aunt Mary. Aunt Mary and Aunt Rose are my mother's only sisters so it was special to think that they were together when we cousins were together.

Longest day of the year

It is 10:45 pm and time for bed! We have just had to turn the lights on in the house. I love the long evenings but it always take you my surprise when you see how late it is. Summer has officially started and I look forward to all the adventures it holds. I packed 2 bathing suits and haven't had a chance to swim since I came so I'll let you know if I get enough nerve and warm weather to swim in the ocean.

The Reason Mothers pray

(image from this website)
Our son Jonathan has been working out in Prince George BC on a tree planting crew this summer. Because he puts in long hours and is far from civilization we don't hear from him often. It was so good to talk to him on skype a couple of days ago. His job is to check the sites to make sure they are planted properly. He was out in the woods checking - he saw a grizzly bear not far from him - between himself and the truck he was driving. He said he was afraid and then he heard something run behind him - he looked around and saw a big moose. There he was out in the middle of nowhere playing "pig in the middle" with a moose and a grizzly! To make a long story short he took it slow and circled around to get back safely into his truck around an hour later. So that is why mothers pray. Thank God He's always with those we love.

"I'll give you a daisy a day girl"

When Randy and I were going together our song was "I'll Give You a Daisy a Day." He often sings it to me and I have always loved daisies - in fact there were daisies in my wedding bouquet. Growing up on the prairies our spring childhood pastime was to make sharp whistle sounds using a wide blade of grass. Apparently here it is to make daisy chains. Our back garden is full of small daisies so this morning I sat down and made a daisy chain. You form it by splitting the stem and inserting the next daisy in the tiny split. Right now I am sitting here with my daisy crown on - I think I'll take it off before I head for work. No need of a crown there!



Here's a close-up.

Another day another picnic!

Today I had a day off work so we planned a picnic by the sea. My friend Hilda and her 2 daughters and I went to Crawfordsburn Park for the day. We had our Teddy Bear picnic and then went for a long walk on Helen's Bay along the seashore. We found shells, made a sandcastle, ran in the tide and enjoyed the sunny day. Of all the things I'll miss about Northern Ireland I think the coast will be near the top of the list! We had so much fun together they decided to have supper with us - good homemade perogies!

Dear Old Donegal

"You are as welcome as the flowers in May to dear old Donegal"- actually we were there June 2 and 3 but we still felt very welcome. We went for the weekend with friends from Broughshane and had a wonderful time. We stopped at the Belleek china factory on the way there and had a tour - it is their 150th year in operation so I bought a vase to celebrate! We went on to wander the street of Donegal town. It was a long weekend and there was a lot of celebrating - at least 3 weddings going on and every third building on main street is a pub. We arrived at our B&B early and went into the wee fishing village of Killeybeg for "catch of the day" fish and chips. The next morning we had a big Ulster fry for breakfast and headed out in the rain.

The scenery in Donegal is rugged and has its own beauty. I was fascinated to see the miles and miles of peat being dug up for fuel. Apparently a lot of people still use it as their primary source of heat. We enjoyed the afternoon at Glenveagh National Park and castle. There was flower arranging seminar there that was great and the flower gardens and walks were amazing. We finished the day with a barbeque at the Ulster-American Folk Museum in Omagh - the rain held off but it was cool and breezy.

There!

When we moved to Northern Ireland I said that I wanted someday to cycle around Lough Neagh, the UK's largest lake. Well, now I can stroke that off my list. I set out at about 5:45 on Wednesday morning (May 30) and, with two wrong turns costing at least an extra 1.5 hours of cycling and one stop to fix a flat tyre, got home at 7:15 pm, having travelled some 200 kilometers, or 125 miles.