Could I move to Scotland?!

Please.... with my cat and my small parrot :)

Love you guys!

Jo Firey...

Just remember that our ancestors were a sensible sort. And they emigrated.

Rhino...

Your pets are going to be a BIG problem if you plan to bring them to
Scotland, either for a visit or to stay.

The United Kingdom, which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland, has a very strong and longstanding fear of rabies. Until very
recently, any pet arriving in the UK (or at least dogs and cats, I'm not
sure about parrots) had to be placed in quarantine upon arrival. That
quarantine lasted SIX MONTHS and there were apparently no exceptions. So
picture your cat (and maybe your parrot) sitting in a kennel at Heathrow for
six months before you could be reunited!

Now, apparently things have loosened off somewhat within the last five or
ten years. I think you can now be excused from the quarantine provisions if
you have sufficient paperwork, including proof of rabies vaccinations and
some kind of "pet passport". I've never looked into this in detail so it
would be best to either check with a travel agent who is up-to-date on
British entry requirements or to check with the appropriate ministry of the
British government. Maybe someone here can point you to the right ministry
or a website that explains the current rules.

But please don't consider going to Scotland or the rest of the UK with your
pets without first checking out the rules or you could be letting them in
for a long and miserable separation from you.

Of course, if you leave the pets with someone and go without them, you are
subject only to the normal passport requirements for humans. That would
enable you to visit Scotland to see if you like it before relocating there.

wafflycat...

Why?

Cold
Wet
Midges that eat you alive before breakfast

But the scenery is nice :-)

And the place where I was racially abused for being English...

sriddles...

They won't sting you unless they're just mean. Some are, but most
aren't. Bees die after they sting, so they don't sting for no reason.
Be careful how you dress though! I bought a big floppy red hat and I
can't wear it outside, the bees swarm me. They think I am a big giant
flower.
Good luck getting someone to get them.

Rhino...

Verbal abuse is not the only problem you face in Scotland. My friend from

jmcquown...

You want to hear absolutely awful... my father put ketchup on watermelon.

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt...

Oh my god - putting a fruit on a vegetable! :)

ladyjane...

EEEWWWWW!!! GOod thing lunch was a long time ago, or it would have been
ruined for me. Wow. What was his reasoning?

Jane
- owned and operated by Princess Rita

sriddles...

That's pretty awful. I love ketchup, but not on fruit. (OK, watermelon
isn't technically a fruit, but I still can't call it a vegetable)...

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt...

It's not a fruit? But it has all the characteristics of fruit - rounded
container of seeds, and filled with sugar. (I know some fruits, such as
avocado, aren't very sweet, but most are.)

What about other melons? Cantaloupe, honeydew?

sriddles...

They're in the same plant-family as squash. Sounds wrong, doesn't it?

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt...

It does, but actually, when I was posting the above last night, I was
thinking about squash, which is also a round container of seeds, yet is
a vegetable. So, I guess I can accept that a melon is a veggie. :) But
what is the world coming to? Melons are vegetables, but tomatoes aren't?? :)

jmcquown...

Tomatoes are a fruit. So are melons. And I have absolutely no idea why Dad

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt...

Well, that's what I would have said, but according to some of the other
posts on this topic, melons, apparently, are vegetables.

likes ketchup on watermelon. Of course, I also don't understand mustard and
onion sandwiches; he likes those, too :D

I'm not sure about canteloupe. I would imagine it's the same. They both
grow on vines and produce blooms in about the same fashion.

Jane's recipe sounds really good to me. Boy Scouts used to cook the
same thing in tin foil and call it a "Hobo Dinner", but the pastry part
sounds wonderful.

Glasgow tells a rather grim joke that he says epitomizes some of the nastier
sorts of people in Glasgow.

Cheers, helen s
(part-Scot)

jmcquown...

How about because I like scones with clotted cream?

wafflycat...

In that case, you'd be far better off moving to the south-west of England,
where such items are elevated to fine dining, as with a devon cream tea :-)

Cheers, helen s

W. Leong...

Now my mouth is watering. It is time for afternoon tea.

Adrian A...

The best place for those is, Devon or Cornwall. Of course you can get good

W. Leong...

Are you from Cape Cod? I went there with a tour group once and had a great
time.
I have never been to Hamilton and either Cornwall.
There is also a London in south west Ontario, a far cry from London across
the pond.

Jeanette...

No, but if I had to live in the US, that's the place I'd choose, definitely.
I'm from Lancashire in England, and I live in Preston, Lancs, which is about
fifteen miles inland from Blackpool, and very temperate. It has the least
extreme climate I've ever known anywhere in the UK. I love it here.

Winnie

Jo Firey...

jmcquown...

My Dad's ancestors were actually sold as indentured servants. Fascinating
story, really :)

Mom's parents, yes, they emigrated. Just a couple of years after the
Titanic sank, and yes, in steerage. They must have been rather brave to get
on a boat crossing the north Atlantic shortly after hearing about that fun
ship, eh?

sriddles...

And if you *do* get stung, don't do what I did and call the doctor and
tell him you're worried about going into prophylactic shock. The word
is "anaphylactic." I knew that. I was upset and the wrong word came
out. I'm sure the nurse is still having a good laugh at my expense.

Well, we got our former neighbor and old friend who keeps bees to come
collect the swarm. Nice for everyone all around and a chance to visit to
boot.

Still need to check the tree to be sure the stragglers are gone.

ones anywhere in Britain.

Karen...

I've always thought Cornwall sounds interesting too.

Christina Websell...

Why do you want to move to Scotland? Very cold weather, no work. Nice

Rhino...

Smokey looks a LOT like my Bebop! I'm sorry to hear that Smokey, your
neighbour and brother are all gone. Condolences....

scenery. Think again.

Tweed (half Scottish herself)

jmcquown...

Well, ya know... McQuown, Douglas, Brown (Broun)

Christina Websell...

Not a good enough reason. Stay where you are. I'm more Scottish than you
are and I wouldn't dream of going to live there. Note my words. IT'S TOO

W. Leong...

The Buffalo Sabres are coming to town to play the Ottawa Senators Friday in
the Stanley Cup
playoff. Of course I am a Sens fan. Finally became a hockey fan after all
these years
in Canada.
I think there is another poster in the group that is a Sens fan.

Winnie

sriddles...

That's okay; you're just hibernating!

W. Leong...

Of course , Winnie the pooh is a bear and bears hibernate.

Winnie

COLD UP THERE!