A REAL SCOTTISH COUNTRY LASS!

Me and my Granny when she visited Nassau shortly
after our first son Gavin's birth.

My dear old Scottish granny was never happy in a city or even a town. She loved the country; in fact the deeper into the country she could be, the happier she was!

She had to have chickens clucking around her, so she could have fresh eggs for breakfast every day. And she had to have a garden, to grow her flowers and vegetables. Her thumb didn’t look green, but I know it was! She also loved budgies and her little blue budgie spoke with a Scottish accent!

She was a great cook as well. Everyone loved her thick, tasty Scottish soup. One freezing cold day I arrived on her doorstep smitten with a bad cold and cough. She put me to bed and brought me some of her hot soup. I was better in no time!

She went to live in Canada twice by ship, the first time on her own and the second along with my mother. My mother’s sister and family lived in Ontario. While she was living in Canada the second time, she came down to visit us in Nassau right after our first son Gavin was born.

But Granny never got used to living in a “concrete jungle”. She pined for a remote Scottish village and her hens and her garden. She returned to Britain both times.

Granny lived to a good old age and I know that somewhere in Heaven she is tending to her chickens and pruning her roses!

COMING TO THE BAHAMAS!

Me participating in a fancy head dress competition on the SS Ryndam
from Southampton to Montreal, on what I thought was the first stage
of my journey "around the world"!

It was during the month of September fifty-one years ago that Erskine and I first met. I was “travelling around the world” – or at least, that is what I intended!

I had emigrated to Canada by ship, worked in Toronto as an editorial assistant for about five months, and then decided I didn’t want to go through a harsh Canadian winter. My uncle’s secretary said to me, “Why not go to The Bahamas?” I said, “The Bahamas? Where’s that?!” I got out the atlas and looked at what seemed to me to be tiny pin pricks off the coast of Florida!

At that time, being a qualified secretary, the world was my oyster. Good secretaries were in demand everywhere. I saw that The Bahamas was still British, so being British myself I thought I should be able to get a job in Nassau.

I could have gone to Freeport, Grand Bahama, which is where my uncle’s secretary had visited, but I always liked the bright lights of a city. The cheapest way I could get to Nassau was by Greyhound coach down across the U.S. from Toronto to Miami. Then I flew from Miami to Nassau, arriving that August, right before Hurricane Betsy.

Taking in the Miami sights before my flight to Nassau

I got secretarial temp work and a work permit right away. My plan was to work in Nassau for three months, and then head back to England where my family lived, for Christmas. After that I wanted to enlist a friend to join me on my trip around the world and we would work our way towards Japan. I longed to experience as many different cultures as I could.

However, I fell in love with The Bahamas and a Long Island Bahamian named Erskine Knowles. I flew back to England for Christmas that year, but I quickly returned. Erskine proposed and we were married in July. I never did make my way around the world!

Footnote: Erskine has written and recorded a song "Young Hearts", about when we first met. This song will be released at a later date.

FROM CANADA TO THE BAHAMAS - “WOMAN IN ACTION” DEBBY DEAL!

"The Punch" published my "Woman in action" article on June 30^th about Debby Deal, owner operator of Contemporary Builders XIX Ltd., Nassau, Bahamas.

Debby, who was born and brought up in Canada, has been a fixer-upper from childhood!

I love writing these articles about amazing women (“in action”!) around The Bahamas!