We Are In Annan Scotland!!!!

IN LOVING MEMORY

BETTY READ (nee Thorburn)
OCTOBER 29, 1929 - AUGUST 17, 1996

We made it!  We are now in Annan, Scotland, the birthplace of my mother. I have heard about this town for my entire life and now I finally get to see it!

Apparently I was actually here before, but I was two years old so it doesn’t really count. It seems so fitting that this first full day in Annan will be spent on the 14^th anniversary of my mother’s passing.

It is far from a sad day though. It is a day to celebrate her life with the three brothers that are surviving.

The last time I saw my Uncle Harris and Uncle Jock was when they came to see my mother before she passed away 14 years ago. I truly believe my mother hung on until they arrived in Canada from Scotland.

When they got there she was strong enough to speak with them and then passed away silently that very same night. She waited to say goodbye.

Circumstances prevented Uncle Marty from making that last trip but she knew his love for her was just as strong. I am guessing it is probably 20 years since I saw him last.

Yesterday morning started out on a very “food conscious” note. I only had ½ slice of toast with Jam before heading off to the bus station for our ten-hour journey to Carlisle where my Uncle Jock would be waiting to pick us up.

Oops! Almost ate it before taking the pic!

Sometimes being too food conscious isn’t THAT smart.

By the time we made our first bus stop around 10:00AM. I was hungry and the coffee shop only had fattening options.

There are degrees of “fattening” but I chose to ignore that. I figured if I was going to have fattening I was going to have what I wanted. So I had a Toffee Sponge Muffin. Man was it good.  Not smart…but good.

I could have chosen better. Our friend Tineke had actually given us a banana to eat on the Coach, but if you let yourself get too hungry, you make bad decisions.

I survived the lunch stop much better. It wasn’t too exciting but we went to Subway and I ordered a Beef Wrap loaded with vegetables and chose mustard as the dressing. Pretty good choice I thought.

Eating didn’t stop there though. We had one final stop before Annan and we were hungry again. We had Chile Con Carne with Rice and and Orange Juice but at least we only got one order and split it between us. 

When we arrived in Annan my Uncle Jock and Aunt Irene were waiting for us to take us to Annan. They look fantastic and it was great to see them. My heart was beating a million miles a minute as we drove toward Annan. It may sound silly but as much as I knew it was really just a small town, this place represented my roots. I was finally going to see where I was from.

As much as I am a “Read” (my surname before marriage) and I am proud of my Father’s heritage, for some reason my mother’s heritage has always seemed to dominate. Perhaps because my mother had so many siblings we have met over the years, while my Dad only had one sister we have never met, but more likely because my mother made us “feel” like being a “Thorburn” (her maiden” name”), meant something.

She used to always talk about how her family had no money but her parents always made her feel like she was important simply because “SHE was a Thorburn”. She would laugh at how ridiculous it was, but only now do I realize that she did the same thing to us. Only with her maiden name rather than our last name.

As we drove into Annan they pointed out my Great Grandfathers house, and the Church my parents were married in. We were driving by so fast I only got a quick picture of the Church but will definitely go back.

My Parents Were Married Here

After checking into our B&B we all walked up to High Street to “The Queensbury”, for dinner. Along the way they told me my sister Shirley was christened in the Church right next door to the B&B and my mother’s wedding reception was in the building on the corner right by us.

Church Where Shirley Was Christened In The Foreground And B&B  Is The Building Behind

Our dinner was not the healthiest. Liver Pate with Garlic Bread for starters and then Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding for dinner along with two Pints of beer. As delicious as dessert looked we declined it.

I must admit I am feeling a little “pudgy” this morning. Got to be careful.

Over the next three days I will discover what being “a Thorburn” really means.

So today is a day to celebrate my mother, but it is also an important day to celebrate the life of another mother.

Our friend who had to rush back to South Africa because her mother passed away is putting her mother to rest today. I know it will be a difficult and sad day for her and her family, as well as for her husband, but I do hope they are able to find ways, even if for brief moments of time today, to remember the joy she brought them, and laugh at the good times.

I believe it s possible to celebrate, even in times of extreme sadness. I only met our friend’s mother a couple of times but she was an amazing spirit. I know that that will not die.

We love you “D”.

Be healthy

Alan