Scotland Bound

Well, it’s been many months preparation. When Dr Bonny Henry in the fall said we were moving from a Covid 19 pandemic to an endemic I began the preparation for the expedition.  I asked Laura if she’d come

During the lockdowns I felt, if we were ever to be free again. I’d like to go to the Vancouver Symphony.  The music is sublime and represents the greatest civilization has to offer. I was so thankful to be at their opening performance after years of zoom.  With regard to travel there are many places I’d like to go to Venice, East Europe, Thailand, Brazil, all come to mind. 

However while I’d been to Southern Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh, I’d never been to Aberdeen and the highlands. My grandfather had left Aberdeen as a young man and sailed to Canada stopping in Toronto before finally arriving in northern Manitoba. There from next to nothing he built a great ranch, raised a family and had a logging company and mill and became the Reeve of the territory. I knew him well, loved him, especially when as a little boy he lifted me up on his oh so high Clydesdale. I didn’t like when he shouted at me for chasing his chickens.  “You’re make the meat tough, if you chase them,”

I have treated so many immigrants who frequently return home or live to return to the home of their grandparents.  I admired their love of their roots and heritage. I’d done my time at ceilads, thanks to my Dumfries friend Anne, been introduced to haggis and Robbie Burns dinners and loved attending Scottish Games with the Hay Clan.  I have been receiving the Hay Clan newsletter since my 20’s and obtained a Hay Kilt in my 30’s.  Three kilts later I’m wearing my deceased older brothers’ kilt because I didn’t quite fit my own at the wedding of my nephew Alan and Meagan last fall.  With regard to weight, what is gained in Covid, stays in Covid.  The Hay Castles are near Aberdeen. I know several other medical doctors who share the Hay name and learned that Aberdeen medical school is chalk full of us Hays.  I am looking forward to meeting more if only because I’ve found such similarity among my relatives on both my mother and father’s side.  The Glasgow branch of famous artists and writers is a wonder. In northern Canada I”ve blessed to still have cowboys and loggers and truckers and amazing folk of pragmatism and competence. It’s a joy to know family and appreciate one’s roots. My nephews are a continuing inspiration.  I love the wee grand children too. So it’s a personal journey.  A celebration of my father’s father.

It’s also my birthday and I’ve worked many months extra hours spurred on by the cost of this adventure and expedition. I was so depressed this November and early December, the arrival of Omicron variant, the re election of the stupid stoner pervert virtue signalling anti Canadians utterly deceitful poser Trudeau, and the despair that permeated my work. I felt at a loss. I struggled to offer hope to hopeless people. The rain and dark and threat of war from Communist China seemed so soul destroying. We were faced with an invasion of people who had never known Freedom and simply didn’t appreciate the cost Canadians paid to have this land. They mostly came from cities and the cities here were new parking lots and so many didn’t know the wilderness that is Canada I love.  Politics was miserable.  I put one foot in front of the other and my little dog Madigan’s enthusiasm and demands for many walks and the good spirits of colleagues and staff all heavily burdened kept me going. 

I called this time “kedging’. As an off shore blue water sailor I felt the ship of my life was held up on a sandbar or snag and that the free water lay in this holiday.  At Harrison Hotsprings with Laura the knife like pain in my back let up in the healing springs. Things began to turn around, The first buds appeared on the trees

And now we’re here, waiting for a taxi to go to the plane. Putin turned out not to be the Christian we had hoped but an old godless Commie who invaded Ukraine this week, a killer and a bully with dreams of empire and mouthful of lies. But then here we had the UN Agenda 21 and WEF with Klaus and his baby boy leaders, all these weak men.  It’s not a good time and I’ve loved all the Ukranians and Russians I’ve known.

Laura is with me. Karen has Madigan.  I’ve taken all my valuables to the storage locker. I’ve done all the reams of paper work with Laura we needed to do with all the extras that we needed despite two Pfeiser vaccines and a  Moderna booster for Covid. We spent last night filling out the confusing UK ‘traveller form’ and were thankful that in contrast to the tyranny and scientific ignorance of Trudeau the UK and Europe have lightened up restrictions. Thankfully we don’t need tests to depart. Dr. Bonnie Henry and Mr. Hogan and Mr. Dix have continued to be ahead of the game and we look forward to returning to British Columbia Canada where the corruption of Eastern Canada is not so thick.  We are even talking about camping in the pristine wilderness,

Now I’m looking forward to seeing the best of civilization, the architecture, museums and art galleries. All that western civilization has brought. I was disappointed when the John A Macdonald statue was toppled. Barbarians always destroy art and little men like Trudeau don’t care that 50 churches were burnt to the ground in Canada this year.  I do. ‘