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New Year’s Day, 2020

Just got off the phone with LL.  Some major changes in her life, and she may need a house to rent quite soon!  Things starting to fall into place.  I’m considering going in September at end of summer season, rent for a few months, look for a place to buy and then spend a couple of years making it a nice self-catering unit.  I was thinking 1 bedroom with pull-out sofa, but I may be getting ahead of myself.

JK not thrilled about my taking Scout away – don’t think she really believes I will do this.  Interestingly, the only people baulking at my leaving are those who will miss the dog.  Well, my nose isn’t out of joint at all.

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Christmas 2019

I was surprised how on-board Siblings 1&2 were the minute I told them – clearly a good omen. Leaning towards Orkney because of the ferries: 90 mins daily from Thurso, or 7 hrs 3 times a week from Aberdeen.

I have decided to keep a journal of all of this.  Just for me.  And maybe family and some friends.  I don’t want it to be onerous – you know, “You must build the habit, Elaine.  Set aside 10 minutes every morning to capture your thoughts.”  Blah, blah, blah.  If I make it a task, it will become a chore.  But, I will try to capture things that happen as I go along so that, if nothing else, I will have a record to look back on. So there.

Family is very excited – Nephew 1 is a little bummed about the idea of Scout leaving Milton.  🙂 I’ve decided to do zero investigation until after the holidays are over and this whirling dervish puppy Lyla goes home (a sweetie but hard to focus with her here).

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December 2019: Scotland?

No idea why I Googled pet quarantines in UK.  I guess I was hoping they had shrunk from 6 months to 4 weeks, and/or had become in-home quarantines? Seems they were lifted in 2011 – Canadians can bring in domestic pets with no quarantine! Suddenly, a whole new world is opening up – think I’m going to move to the Shetlands or Orkney.

Why there?  A couple of years ago I came across a twitter war between the Shetland & Orkney libraries – JK Rowling had shown up at one of the Orkney book club meetings and the library was lording it over their rival, Shetland.  I loved the banter and started following both of them.  So when Sibling 1, Nephew 3, and I toured Scotland last summer, we headed straight for the Highlands, Orkney, and Shetland.  Apart from being a tad disappointed that Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez wasn’t waiting for me at the ferry dock in Lerwick, I loved everything about the islands.

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