One of my great joys is chatting to my family on FaceTime, mostly a weekend thing. Sometimes we have quick chats, others lovely long sit and have a coffee together chats. Like this morning with my NZ crew. Such a gift. Noah was lovely and chatty, and I caught up on his news. I can't wait to see him and his mum and dad in February, and maybe humiliate myself with a round of golf with the young master! I was surprised when Noah knew who Rowan Atkinson was and details about his amazing car collection. I may need to google that myself!
Talking about bagpipes, I remembered one of the reasons they so resonate with me. When I was about 7 or 8 years old my dad was fishing for whitebait in our local river. A fierce river with strong flow and currents. He over reached to pull in his full net and fell in. I was on the river bank playing and watched him disappear under the water. It was terrifying and I still remember those feelings whenever I stand too close to fast water rivers.
Next moment a man nearby jumped into action to rescue him. Dad was in full fishers gear including thigh waders and Lucas shed his waders as he reached out and grabbed dad as he went by. I remember quite a battle getting dad out, heavy with the water in his boots and panic, and others helping. Thankfully my Dad lived to fish another day and I had a new hero, Lucas.
Lucas lived just down the road from us in our very small New Zealand town, and he was Scottish. Best of all my hero played the bagpipes. I used to lie awake in bed and listen to him practice on warm summer evenings when kids were supposed to be asleep, my windows open to get the best sound. I wonder where he is now, my hero.
Here's a clip of Highland Cathedral showcasing the beauty of Scotland.
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