Memories, dreams and reflections

It has been almost a month since our return to Australia from Bute. In that time, we have had little opportunity to think about our adventures, as the normal rythmn of responsibility and routine have enveloped us.

Every now and then, conversations in our home will turn to our adventures in the United Kingdom, and those on Bute in particular. It was such a magical experience in many ways and it was over well before I was ready. Despite the distance, I can't wait to return. Ruby seems less excited about the long journey back - but Hamilton is very keen, which is a delightful surprise.

On one impressively fine day, Hamilton and I explored the island together. Ruby was feeling unwell, so it was just the two of us. It was really special to see everything through his eyes, including the crystal clear (albeit freezing) water, the Spring daffodils, the lush & varied landscape, and the Victorian architecture that is dotted around the island. We marvelled at Mount Stuart and even sampled haggis. I could see a look in his eyes of wonder and happiness that reflected mine. He understood.

So, I am already thinking about new projects, new trips and new connections to Scotland and Bute. Sometimes, my best ideas come to me in my dreams. I had many, many intense dreams whilst at our flat in Rothesay and they have been compounded by interesting coincidences ever since. There is more to come, this much is true.

There are still some more jobs to be completed at the flat, which I am sure that we will get to soonish. The fireplace is yet to be completed with a wood burner, hearth and tiles. And the kitchen will be finished off with those lovely brick slip tiles. Aside from those jobs, we are now more into decorating mode, most of which can be done at a relatively luxurious pace.

Trish and Shaun have been very busy with other far more important priorities of late. I am also certain that they needed a break from the intensity of the Kyles of Bute flat and all of the hard work in that transformation. A very well deserved break!

However, planning for the next return trip is now underway. My mum will be turning 80 in August, which also happens to be when the Bute Highland Games are scheduled. We will be making the trip to Scotland together to celebrate her special milestone. I can't wait to show her the flat and to have a really good look at what I have uncovered about our ancestry. I know that she will be far more interested in our Scottish roots than Ruby and Hamilton!

It will also be time to return the commemorative Robert Burns plate to Rothesay, that my great grandmother brought to Australia over 100 years ago. After researching this plate, I am fairly certain that this was a wedding gift for my great grandfather William and my great grandmother Margaret, when they lived together in Rothesay. As William stayed behind and lived on Bute until his passing at the age of 75, it seems fitting that this plate return to our new family home on the island. Hopefully that would make all of my ancestors happy.

I casually checked in with Hamilton today to see how he might feel about a trip to Bute during the winter months to experience Hogmanay. Despite the prospect of braving very cold conditions, he was keen. His very name is of Scottish origin, so Hamilton's burgeoning love of Scotland has made that all the more fitting.

Ps. "Memories, dreams and reflections" is the title of a biography about Carl Jung, one of the most influential psychiatrists of the modern age