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On board and away...
View of Scotland before landing
Scotland...
Meet Singer/Songwriter Anne Pack
Castles dot the landscape with
medieval images
Dave showing me his "fuel-saving"
upgrades!
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Wednesday, September
6, 2006
D-47
Joycie bless her heart is worried about my weight - luggage that is. I'm
not agreeing to her suggestions of wearing as much as I can, and
stuffing my pockets with heavy items from my suitcase. We're both
flabbergasted when my cases check in at 23 kilos over AND the airport
clerk doesn't charge me extra. (it should have been a $7 per kilo
fee) The plane must be light today and we just had another omen that
Scotland awaits. Within 30 minutes I am traveling 37,000 feet above Canada, 540 miles /
hour, and minus 72 degrees Fahrenheit, just inches outside of my window
seat. We fly towards Hudson Bay, and over the globe -
Iceland, Greenland and land in Glasgow,
Scotland. (Hi Kerry and Karl - hope your holiday is going
well !)
The United Kingdom - almost 60 million. England is almost 50
million itself.
Scotland just over 5 million in a space about the size of Newfoundland.
This time of year the weather is cool and damp. Rains alot.
Every Scottish pound I spend, will cost about $2.24. Gas is about 95
pence a litre which is over $2.00 a litre or...( well, you figure it out
per gallon.)
I only know Anne Pack through an 18 month email relationship begun when
Joyce Mann gave Anne one of my CDs while in Scotland last year. Anne
and son Bob (aka Bob the Builder) are picking me up at the airport.
She has offered to put me up for a few days. It is very difficult to
accept such gifts from a stranger but she explains that many Canadians
have been helpful to her while traveling abroad and she wanted to
return the favour. It becomes very clear, very quickly that Anne is not
a stranger but a friend I am now meeting. I am to quickly learn about
the gracious hospitality of the Scottish!
Anne is convinced the clear skies and warm temperatures have arrived on
the plane with me from Calgary. It feels like Vancouver to me. Ahhh,
humidity. She and son Bob (aka Bob the Builder) load me and my gear in their car
and we head to their village of Inchture, sightseeing
along the way.
The buildings look old - all of them. Anne explains that the local
councils are strict about changes to old buildings and development of
new ones. Building codes ensure the historic look is maintained. I
notice almost right away the absence of advertising billboards. The
view of castles and old castle walls that dot the meadows and hilly
ridges is not obstructed by modern clutter.
Anne is a full time executive secretary in a plant service research
facility. But she is also a singer songwriter with eight albums and a
busy night life of performing, as well as a husband Alan and two sons
Bob and Dave. Dave is an 18 year old mechanic learning his trade. Bob
is worried about a job since graduating four months ago. Both these
young men have abundant personalities and charm! I am delighted to have
them teach me terms and phrases I'll need to dazzle, confuse and puzzle
my friends when I get back home.
Anne and I walk the path through the
redwoods and take out the guitars for awhile. She has taken a day off
tomorrow to take me to Edinburgh.
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