Marcus and Nick, friends of Crofter's son, are attempting the British Columbia to District of Columbia (Vancouver to Washington DC) ride this summer, to raise funds for the Haileybury Youth Trust, working with young people in Uganda.
Here's their blog - from BC to DC.
Cristóbal Colon (after whom BC and DC are named, I guess) would be proud of them. Although he'd probably claim he had arrived in Washington, India...
We spent Burns Night at La Rectoria de Sant Miquel de Pineda, in the green hills of La Garrotxa. Roy Lawson and Goretti were great hosts, cooking a splendid supper including flown-in haggis and thermonuclear Clootie Dumpin'. Francesc Punsola played the bagpipes, and Roy and I read Burns' poems to a bemused audience of Catalans and lovers of Scotland.
Being abroad makes the Scot more Scottish. That could make us romantics, but Robbie Burns reminds us what it meant in the 18th century; hard work, deprivation and a society that left most with little.
We've been accepted as members of ANCRI (Associació Nacional de Criadors de Raça Ripollesa), the breeders' association for Ripollesa sheep. The association links the breeders, and conducts research on the breed. I'm required to keep a record of all births on the Croft in a breed book.
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| Member #1 |
Another step in the long learning curve of shepherding.
