In 2007, after 16 years of island life, we moved diagonally south-eastwards across Scotland from the dramatic mountains and seascapes of the Isle of Skye to the gentle rolling fields of Duns in the Scottish Borders. I had escaped, with my sanity almost intact, from my full-time post with NHS Highland in October 2007. I felt they might just struggle along without my vast experience both clinical and managerial. They agreed. I like to think that this marked the beginning of a period of catastrophic demise for the health service, but perhaps other factors played their part.
We had in fact already sold our main home on Skye and moved away in June. Subsequently, I travelled the proverbial high road and the low road during the five intervening months, covering some 15,000 miles in the process, burning up tyres at a frightful rate. My work base at Portree Hospital lay 300 miles from our new home in Duns so hardly appropriate for a daily commute. The excitement of our new home soon turned into a nightmare for my husband, Tom. While I was still busy saving both lives and the NHS, he was coping with disastrous plumbing and collapsing ceilings. The hidden wonders of this outwardly upscale build were to prove to be more than he could bear and subsequently, he was already planning to leave it by the time I retired in October.
I had barely settled into my newly discovered relaxing routine, when he had invited the estate agents round, and the “For Sale” sign was being hammered into place. During this spell, the house next door, cobbled together by the same builder, gained in incontinence, what it lost in habitable rooms. The plumbing next door was no better than ours; the oak floors had to be lifted and, to top it all, it burst into flames one night. Thank goodness for all the leaky pipes, as these saved the day and the neighbours.
That was the final straw. We were moving and that was that. So by November 2008 we had already moved once again, from potentially deadly Duns back to “our other wee hoose” on Skye, albeit briefly, to complete that sale. In April 2009, we bounced back to the Borders to settle in the delightful village of Morebattle. Did I say settle? I think that an amendment and explanation is required.
Absent Voyagers: Tales from a World Cruise Description:
From Hawaii to Hong Kong, Fiji to Fremantle, New York to Nha Trang, Panama to Penang, Curaçao to Citvitavecchia……..it’s all in the book. For anyone interested in travelling, this personal travelogue will certainly whet your appetite. It is intended as a light hearted and tongue in cheek account of, not only life on a cruise ship, but also relationships. Crammed full of observations, and a personal view of over 30 ports of call, it is not just about the voyage, but life in general. Take the trip with me, and laugh along the way.
Come on and join us by immersing yourself in Absent Voyagers. The book provides an insight into life on board Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth on her inaugural world cruise in 2011. The cast comprises Marje and Tom, and the many people and places they encounter along the way. An unusual twist is added as they move house several times whilst on the high seas. Find out how that was achieved. Introducing Calamity! Enjoy the journey. Absorb the atmosphere. Be transported to far flung places. Steal a glimpse into our life while you read.
