galmc2Report

First, second, once removed,.. no idea but, I do know how happy I am to call them family.

When Paul and I were planning the last stage of our trip, the only thing we knew for sure is that we would need to reserve some time in England and Wales to see the Shelbourne (Gallilee) and Smith (Walker) sides of the family before heading to Ireland or Scotland. As it is my side of the family, Paul let go of any control and let me just roll with it and plan the visit as I saw fit. I contacted the relatives and followed their lead on where to stay and how to get there.

We started in London with a visit with Monica (my Dad’s cousin) and her children Sara (&Dave) and Linda (&Paul).

We saw a few London sites, played golf, enjoyed lovely walks and even saw a musical!

Next stop, Huddersfield (Slaithwaite) to stay with Carys, Matt, Evie, Merryn, Freddie and Jake, their sweet pup. Carys is my late cousin Jacqueline’s daughter (on Mom’s side) and she and her family stayed with us when they visited the Vancouver area about 7 years ago. We were so happy to see them again and of course Paul was a big hit with the kids!!

It was only a brief visit with the rest of the gang from the Manchester area but we were happy to have dinner with 2 of my cousin Angela’s children – Josie (Mark & Alfie) and Alice (Dave).

And then off to Caernarfon (Pennygroes) we went. Cousin Angela and Andrew have a farm in Pennygroes where we went to visit but, with Paul’s allergies I decided it would be best to rent a place and stay in Caernarfon. It turned out great and we had some good visits and also got to explore this Northern Welsh town, which we enjoyed very much. Unfortunately we could not see Sophie but did enjoy a little visit with Robin and Olivia and Scarlett.

And last but not least, we hopped on a train to visit with cousin Alma and her gang near Cardiff (Llanbranach).

Our final 2 nights in Wales was spent at Alma’s wonderful caravan near Saundersfoot (Summerhill).

Alma kindly offered to drive us to Fishguard to catch the ferry to Ireland. On the way, we first visited Solva, where my cousin Jacqueline’s ashes rest. Solva is a charming small village in the crook of a beautiful bay – I understand why this was Jacqueline’s favourite spot.

Our final stop was St. David’s.

We had such a wonderful time visiting with them all and seeing a few sites in England and Wales. I am so grateful to my parents for creating these strong family connections and to my cousins, first, second, once removed,.. for their kindness and friendship. I feel privileged to call them family.