When I arrived in South Devon, I knew instantly I was “home“… In over fifty years on this planet, I had never before known that feeling… (and discovering I had ancestors in South Devon going back to the late 1400s just confirmed the feeling)…
…and arriving in the Scottish Highlands, that feeling is multiplied a thousand-fold. I feel connected to this land in a way I didn’t know possible…
So, when my beloved Prince (trusty car) gave me a warning light for his automatic roof this morning, even though I will not be going in convertible mode in the Scottish Highlands in the middle of winter, I decided to put him in to the dealership in Inverness just over 30 minutes away and use the time curled up in a wonderful Italian restaurant overlooking the River Ness to go delving into my ancestry to see what I could find that might account for my extraordinary passion for this area…
…and if ever you are in Inverness, I can thoroughly recommend Zizzi’s!
Since Ancestry.com do not allow one to search by location, I needed to break out my ‘inner geek’…
…and what I discovered was fascinating!
Although I have yet to find a direct link to the Highlands, if you recall, when I was investigating my ancestry, there was one branch to which/whom I felt an overwhelming connection. The rest were like reading a story in a newspaper – but this one line in particular… I finally felt, “I have history – these are my people!”
Well, on that line, there are a couple of people with whom I resonated more than the rest…
Ann(e) Virgo Gallimore Tharp(e) – whose grave I found with my wonderful ‘cousin’ Graham and his lovely wife Jan – btw, Anne has such a fascinating story that I believe there is a book in there at some point…
Anne’s eldest son, Richard Parnell and his wife, Margaret O’Curle.
Anne’s middle son, Montague Parnell, who is my great-grandfather’s grandfather.
As it turns out, Anne, Richard and his wife all lived in Scotland at one point. Not up as far as the Highlands, and they were not born there (well, not sure about Margaret yet) but at least it is a start…
So, after that little bit of investigating and a scrumptious lunch, I decided to go for a short stroll through Inverness before catching a taxi back to collect my beloved car.
On my way back up the arcade, I reached into my handbag and was going to give this woman some money (she was busking and playing beautiful pan-flute) but then she started yelling at me that I took her photo before but I didn’t pay her – I should pay her, she demanded! So, I stopped reaching for my wallet and simply walked on…
Finally, a man in a kilt playing the bagpipes…
I do love it here…
Oh, and it turns out the warning light was from an old code that had been fixed before I even bought Prince – but I didn’t mind… Gave me a wonderful excuse for a glorious day in Inverness!
On the way back there was a stunning sunset…
…and now home sweet home, just in time for a call with a client and then calling it a night…
Sweet dreams, dear Friends!
~ Bella
