Letters Home - Scotland
by Leslie Shalduha
February 1, 2025 Greetings from Biggar
Greetings from Biggar, Scotland where I find myself on my lonesome with Trudy, a retired racing greyhound. Emma and Alex have gone off on their own housesitting adventures for the next three weeks. Their first job took them back to Dunfermline, a town we really enjoyed except for the whole Fred and Fancy fiasco. They are caring for a cat on their first job so should be much more relaxed!
I promised to tell you more about my rough start with Trudy on this next missive, so here we go. Her mom said that she has nightmares at night and will wake, growling and snarling, but will settle with a few gentle words. Um, no, that is not how that worked. The first night we arrived, the hostess slept on the couch for a very early morning departure and I slept in her bed with Trudy. Slept is a strong word. Trudy settled in beside me and I considered going to sleep. You have not lived until you find yourself lying underneath a giant greyhound looming over you in the night, growling and snarling. Gentle words did not have the desired effect. Anyhoo, I pulled the blanket between my face and her until she relaxed and laid down. Then I built a pillow wall between us and lightly dozed until early morning. The good news is she does not have very many teeth so all the better to not eat me with, my dear......I have been sleeping on the couch ever since, which is luckily comfy.
Otherwise, Trudy is a sweet dog. She often holds up her front leg that was once broken and hops very fast when on three legs. Sometimes I have to run to keep up with her! She must have been a champion in her racing days.....
I am looking forward to saying goodbye to this sit. I had originally so looked forward to being still for a whole month! Careful what you wish for…..Nature is not close or accessible and the nearest towns are a pricey and lengthy bus ride so I have become intimately familiar with the town cemetery where Trudy deigns to walk a couple of times a week.
While Emma and Alex were here we did do a little exploring. The town of Lanark is nearest and we spent a day there, exploring the best cemetery I have found as yet here in Scotland. Emma discovered St. Kentigern's church is thought to be where William Wallace (the movie Braveheart is about him, though it is fairly inaccurate) married his one true love who was later murdered by the English. The church is a ruins but one can see the beauty it once was. Emma found an interesting stone from 1682 that was still very readable though in Old English. We also explored gorgeous St. Mary's Roman Catholic church where we lit a couple of candles in honor of those we love who have passed from this world. On the way out, I found Holy Water on tap! Is that normal in Catholic churches?
We also travelled to the town of Peebles. It was a bus ride of about 45 minutes through beautiful countryside dotted with lots of sheep, a couple of castles and miles and miles of stone walls separating pasture after pasture. I like to imagine the workers building those stone walls, how long it may have taken and how incredible that they still stand. Peebles was one of those picturesque towns filled with ancient stone buildings and a cathedral with a few interesting shops. We discovered Emma's fave coffee shop, The Milkman, had a location there so we dipped in to enjoy hot beverages while sitting in a sweet little window seat. The one castle in Peebles requires paying for a private tour so we had to console ourselves with drooling out the bus windows as we passed by.
I mentioned before that the three of us are coming back to the States in March. Many of you also know that since then I have decided to reclaim my home in Oregon and replant some roots.
As I sit writing this at the local pub, The Crown Inn, beside a crackling fire, I made friends with a family who sat next to me. We just visited for the last hour, exchanged info and made plans to get together in a couple of weeks as my next sit is in their area! That has been one of the best things about this travelling— meeting folks and forming new friendships. You may have noticed that I like to stay in touch with people, whether near or far, and it really brings me joy. Thank you for continuing to read these newsletters, writing me back in turn to tell me of your life, joys and troubles. I appreciate the connections so very much. In the end, that is what life is about, no?