#215 Scottish Villages

Ballatter, Scotland

This blog may seem tp go in strange directions, but they really are related—our big move, my trip with Parkinson’s Disease, and the Scottish village photos.

The first factor controlling life for us today is our selling of the 6th Avenue house we’ve lived in for more than 35 years and moving into our new abode in Hope Village (still in Canby). As I write this we’ve just signed our share of the closing papers and are waiting for the buyers to sign their share. The house was on the market for only five or six weeks (they all blur together) and we are getting a fair price for it. The next part of the move has been putting all our accumulations into the newer smaller unit. Downsizing seems a universal problem for our neighbors in the village. Advise like, “if you haven’t used it in [fill in a time period] throw it or give it away,” is hard to adopt if you’ve lived by “I’ll keep it because I’m sure I’ll need it” for years and years. Anne is a real trooper and has the bedroom nearly box free, the kitchen completely useable, the hallway walkable, and at least some floor in the new garage v\visible. We are even able to start joining in some village social functions such as Tuesday 10 AM Coffee in the Community Room. We are beginning to enjoy our move to senior living.

Factor number two controlling our lives is my new life with Parkinson’s. Besides Carbidopa Levodopa (the gold standard medicine for treating PD symptoms), the fact that the new house doesn’t have even one step is a godsend for me—it seriously takes away a falling hazard it was getting difficult to face in our three story home. As degenerative as PD is it is also interesting—as soon as one symptom is controlled or adapted to, another pops up. This morning my left elbow started hurting seeming for no reason. Stiffness or rigidity needs my attention now. Slowness (bradykinesia) is my main motor symptom—who knew I’d need a short hospital railing on my bed to help me get in or out or rollover. Through it all my most Important help is Anne, who has had to take on new tasks I can’t do or giving new help to me when I can’t pull my pants off by myself. Beyond an Angel is she!

The move and PD have limited our travels (but not our golf). So, it’s back to the files for travel photos for this post. I’ve mostly used my photos for slide shows or for prints to sell at art fairs or highland games. So, I look at the blog as another way to share photos I like. We wish we could be in Scotland this year, but since that’s not possible, let me give you a picture of Scottish village life we’ve enjoyed in the past.

HOUSES

Early in our trips to Scotland we learned that houses weren’t always numbered, they were named. We spent most of our time in Merlindale B&B in Crieff and learned that the name was just a pleasant sounding name. Glenearn House was next door with Arduthie (the owner, Nigel, didn’t know where the name came from) down the street. Galvelbeg was a B&B we stayed at when Merlindale wasn’t available. When we got home from that trip we put up a sign naming our little white house in Canby Fionabeg, which mens “little white” in Gaelic. We have yet to name our Hope Village house.

Callander

Kinneuchar

Fortingal

STREET SCENES

One of our biggest joys of our travels in Scotland was wandering the busy streets of the villages, towns and cities. It was like being in mid-century America with crowds of bustling people and cars, doing their daily shopping and other local business.

Elgin

Linlithgow

Health and Safety weren't amused. 

A good night's work.

Peebles

Dornoch

Crieff

Crovie

RETAIL

In the time we spent in Scotland particularly in Crieff, we became familiar with many local shops and eateries. We became known in many of the shops like the Corn Exchange in Crieff—a local whisky and specialty shop. Andrew would help me find special whiskies to bring home which weren’t available in the states. He’d help Anne find new local gins to taste. It was always a difficult task to decide which four bottles, the legal limit duty free, we’d bring home from a trip. Difficult, yes, but we were up to the task.

Crieff

Kingussie

Crieff--gone now, Covid got him.

We also serve who sits and wait.

Stirling (Duh)

Callander

J L Gills, the Corn Exchange, Crieff

NIGHT

As much as we enjoyed our days in Scotland, touring and golfing, we also enjoyed the nights. In the spring the daylight lasts well into what we considered evening and in the fall night came early with its special glow. In the evening too there was usually the special smell of peat fires warming the homes.

Ballatter

Crieff

Crieff

BLACK AND WHITE

As colorful as the village scenes are they also fit the black and white photo world. That was the premise to my small coffee table-style book Scotland in Black and White: 90 Photos, which is still available on Amazon. Sorry for the shameful commercial plug.

Comrie

Dunkeld

Crieff

Kirkwall, Orkney Islands

NEXT: It's anybody's guess.