My Home Town - Sharing Memories

Lorine McGinnis Schulze at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/p/sharing-memories.html is leading a series on Sharing Memories.  Here the topic is "My Home Town".  

Blackpool  Tower

The first decision on this posting - which is my home town? 

I was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, and have fond memories of my early  childhood there in this seaside resort, famous for its Tower, completed in 1894.

But the place I call my ancestral home  is the nearby small historic town of Poulton-le-Fylde, where my mother's Danson family livd for at least eight  generations - the subject of many a blog posting.

I left Poulton when I was 13 as my father's job took us to York and then Edinburgh where I finished my formal education.

Marriage took me to Hawick, Roxburghshire, the largest town in the Scottish Borders,  famed for its quality knotwear, rugby teams and heritage.  It became my home for forty-one years, the longest I have lived anywhere.

Then just four weeks ago, we moved 25 miles north to Earlston in Berwickshire in a house that ticks all our boxes and is only 15 minutes walk from our daughter and family  

Earlston Woodland Walk 

Earlston is somewhere between a large village and a small town, with gardens and war memorial in the Market Square, two grocers' shops, baker, butcher, craft shop, hairdresser, church, primary school and High School, cafe, chippy and Chinese take away, and,  if you fancy a drink, a choice of the Black Bull, White Swan or Red Lion - plus good bus links to other Border towns and Edinburgh. 

It is  friendly buzzing community serving the surrounding agricultural area.

The big event next week is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Street Party (just hope this good weather continues), with a picnic and barbecue, stalls, entertainment, and, in the evening a  ceilidh (concert) with a final fireworks flourish.

And 10 days later, the Olympic torch passes through Earlston.

It promises to be a great introduction to life in our new home town.   

Leader Water at Earlston

 

 Countryside around Earlston

 Old Earlston Bridge, built in 1737

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