Emo country club ‘visits’ Scotland

Last Thursday, the Emo Community Country Club stopped at its eighth destination in their world tour: Scotland.
With the help of the Emo-La Vallee-Chapple Healthy Community Coalition, this group of seniors and friends have been learning about various countries around the world.
Every other month, they arrange for guest speakers to make a presentation at either the Golden Age Manor or Emo Legion.
Siobhan Booth opened last week’s presentation by introducing Gail and Tom Govier of Emo, who spent a month in late summer, 2006 touring Scotland and visiting her maternal ancestral homeland.
Prior to their trip, the Goviers searched the Internet looking for places to visit, booking accommodations at bed and breakfasts, renting a vehicle, and mapping out a route that would allow them to visit as many places as possible.
“Bed and breakfasts really are the way to visit a country,” noted Gail Govier. “They are a bit more money, but you meet some really neat people.”
The Goviers used maps, guide books, music, and a slide show on their computer as they shared their journey and experiences during the presentation.
As the tour moved from town to town, the Goviers recounted various highlights. For instance, one bed and breakfast they visited was on a farm close to the Highlands.
“It was a mixed farm,” said Tom Govier. “They grew potatoes, turnips, wheat, and corn, much like they do in southern Ontario. In the summer they graze their cattle in the Glen, but the sheep spent all year there.”
He explained many of lords still own the land and farmers rent from them.
They were told by their B & B hosts, however, that the couple considers the farm their home. In fact, the farm has been owned by four generations.
One highlight Gail Govier recounted was her visit to Glamis Castle—which had been the home of the Queen Mother.
The home is just the way she left it on the day of her death.
Prince Charles has created a trust for the maintenance of the castle. The Queen Mother’s former employees now conduct tours, answer questions, and tell stories about her life at the castle.
One event the Goviers said should not be missed on a trip to Scotland is the Braemar Highland Games. It is the final Scottish games of the season and takes place close to the summer residence of Queen Elizabeth.
The Royal Family traditionally attends the games, as they did that afternoon in 2006.
Tom Govier could not visit Scotland without a stop to a cattle sale. He explained that due to the concern with BSE and hoof and mouth disease, each animal has a passport with a number that corresponds to a tag in each ear.
The owner or a representative of the animal must be at the sale, and is responsible for making sure all of the animal’s paperwork is in order.
When you purchase an animal, you receive the passport and can tell at a glance exactly where the animal has been throughout its life.
But the best part of the trip for the Goviers was their week stay on the Isle of Skye, where they rented a self-catering holiday cottage. They managed to find a local butcher and baker, and did all of their grocery shopping in the nearby village.
“We didn’t eat at a restaurant all week,” Tom grinned.
The couple enjoyed meeting and getting to know some of the local people. They also made use of the village’s “call box” to phone home and the “post box” to mail some postcards.
The Goviers also spent some time on their trip to Scotland shopping for the usual tourist gifts. The best place they found was to visit the “Charity Shops, which are stores run by non-profit groups such as the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
“The prices are reasonable and they really cater to the tourist,” Gail Govier noted.
Although the Goviers had more to share, they ended their “tour” and thanked everyone for being such an attentive audience.
Afterwards, everyone enjoyed some dainties, tea, coffee and some oat cakes supplied by the Goviers.
The eighth tour of the Emo Community Country Club was so well-received, in fact, that many stayed for a while to chat with the Goviers and examine the many guides and photographs that were on display.
If you missed this stop on the club’s world tour, get ready for the next one—it’s coming soon.