Hello Everybody! We have arrived home after our twelve day trip to Scotland. The weather was typically British :0( --- but it was well worth it just to meet many of you in Dundee and - as Norma says - have a wee blether on all matters PETRIE!! I work in local government and found the Friday evening quite a laugh, with the Lord Provost and the tales of Dundee. I think that we managed to link up a few people who called in as connections to Hazel's tree - both Karen and Hazel are Kirkmichael Petries, but we have not yet managed to prove a connection, so we have two parallel lines running alongside, waiting for the link!! The Gathering on Saturday was excellent, with many local people coming along to look. The Ceilidh - yes, it is pronounced KAYLEE and yes, that WAS a real pig!! - was a highlight for us, as we used to belong to a local Scottish Country Dance group here in Doncaster! That evening made us realise just how unfit we are and how much we had forgotten! So much so that we are hoping to rejoin the RSCDS and take up the dancing again :0) We met up with many of you, from the USA - Hi to Garry and Susan from Oregon - and Canada (I think!), as well as from New Zealand (Hello, Herb!) and Australia. Oh yes, some Brits as well!! (Hello, Jim from the IoW). This is not to forget the Stars of the Show, Norma and Hazel, who - with their families - did so much to make it a great time for all of us. THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! We even managed to inflict ourselves again on Norma last Thursday, for a marathon blether, talking about all things Petrie and otherwise. Thanks Norma. How is Davie's van now? :0( We had a great time there and will sign up to a future event ................... We shall put some photos on the web when we get ourselves sorted out. Until then, it is ..... Bye for now Karen and Stephen Researching the following names:- BAKER, CANNON; CHALKLEY - Hertfordshire, England SPENCE, KELLY, ELMESLEY - Moray, Scotland DANIELS, EBB, BRACKENBURY, DARCY , WARD - Lincolnshire, England PETRIE, GOW, FORBES, BRODIE - Scotland (especially Perthshire) RUTHERFORD, Roxburghshire, Scotland DONALD, STRACHAN, MOLLISON, SMITH - Aberdeenshire, Scotland ELLIS, MITCHELL - North Yorkshire, England STALKER, BRENNAND - Kendal, Westmorland, England HINCHLIFFE, PAYNE - West Riding of Yorkshire, England BERRY - Leicestershire, England