21/09/10

The Brown Clan has returned to the UK! A four hour ferry ride yesterday brought us to Cardiff, Wales and today we packed our bags again and headed North, to Bath, England. The day began with a wee look around Cardiff. We viewed the castle from the outside (not wanting to be ripped off something severe by the British Government in order to take a gander at the inside) and the girls did a spot of shopping, as per usual, unfortunately dragging me along for the ride. They say it’s torture for human males as well but at least they can look at things for themselves. Having a considerable amount of fur I don’t find the need for clothes, so it’s particularly tiresome for myself.

After a short while that felt like an eternity, we left the main town and headed to Cardiff Bay, to check out the Dr. Who exhibit at the Red Dragon Centre. I must say, after only a few episodes (accidentally stumbled across during some of the BBC channels finer moments) I’ve become a huge fan! I much prefer the season with David Tenant as the Doctor of course, but I enjoy the stories in the latest shows all the same. It was fantastic to see so many of the friends and enemies The Doctor encounters on his journeys, as well as genuine costumes and props from the set! The gift shop was particularly dangerous, it was all I could do not to walk out of there with a 50£ radio-controlled Dalek. Of course, having no clothes, I also have no suitcase and therefore no way of transporting items larger than myself around with me. It was a right laugh all the same!

Not too far from Bath you will find arguably England’s most famous landmark: Stonehenge. This is where we headed in the late afternoon, the perfect time due to the beautifully photogenic light conditions. Visitors are able to walk the full perimeter of Stonehenge, viewing it from all angles and affected by the light in many different ways. I have to imagine it would be absolutely amazing to spend a full 24 hours there, and see the stones at all times of day. It was incredible enough just to spend 30minutes in their presence.

Whew today was a busy day indeed.

Ever wandering, never lost

-          Moo

18/09/10

We have since entered the independent Republic of Ireland, where I have had my first encounter with the European Currency. It takes a bit of getting used to, let me tell you! Today we drove from Galway (where nought but drinking took place for the Brown Clan) to Cork. Cork is a rather small city, but on the outskirts there is a cute little castle by the name of Blarney. The grounds are quite expansive, but the castle itself is quaint, with narrow, steep and roughly carved staircases leading up to the uppermost barricades, where the famed Blarney Stone can be found.

It is said that whoever kisses the Blarney stone will be blessed with the gift of the gab, and therefore will never find themselves lost for words again. In order to touch ones lips against the stone, one must lie on ones back, dangling over a large gap in the castle floor, and pucker up for the outer wall. Being rarely lost for words myself, I saw no genuine reason to endanger my life, simply in the hope of being able to talk with no end, if I so choose. There are much more important things in life. If by kissing the stone I were to gain the gift of, say, teleportation, then surely I’d be the first to reach the top of the castle. As it is, I don’t have much need in my life for the gift of sparkling conversation.

After inching our way down the stairs back onto solid ground, we explored the sprawling, lush green surroundings of the castle. Within the grounds is a large and impressive manor house, which unfortunately is only open to view in the middle of summer. It was very handsome indeed from the outside and I was particularly taken with a charming tower room with a window. I can imagine sitting upon a comfortable seat at that window, looking over the grounds and wiling away the hours with pen in hoof. I would dearly love to delve into the world of fictional narratives and poetry, but as of now I’m far too busy living my own exciting life to imagine up a new one! Perhaps when I am settled in Sydney and life has a few more mundane moments to fill I will explore some more creative endeavours. For now my blog is more than enough to keep me occupied on quiet nights.

Ever wandering, never lost

-Moo

15/09/10

Today I bade farewell to my home country for the first time in my wee life. The destination was Belfast, Northern Ireland. Particularly exciting was that not only was I going to visit Ireland for the first time, but it was to be my first trip on a boat! The day was stormy and the water treacherous, which made the ride less than comfortable to say the least. Nevertheless we got through it without incident and landed safe and relieved on dry land.

With only one night in Belfast we needed to make the most of it. One of the recommended ways of doing this is by participating in a black cab tour of the key sites relating to the tumultuous past of this city. Most should know that Belfast has been torn in half by ongoing war, both physical and internal, between the two main faiths of Ireland: Protestant and Catholic. A wall now divides the town in two, separating each in an attempt at peace. But how can one truly achieve peace without unity?

Our first stop was in the protestant section of town, where murals have been painted at the end of several rows of houses. Most of them have anti-Catholicism themes. One mural depicts the lone sniper, whose gun appears to point directly at you, no matter where you stand. British flags are displayed with pride here. This contrasts of course with the Catholics, who gave birth to the IRA in their desperation to remain independent from England. On their side, Irish flags are seen, and it is said that The Troubles of Belfast officially began with the first time a Catholic dared let it fly.

The wall dividing the two halves however is adorned with non-political street art pieces. It is the only place in Belfast where you can legally graffiti, and is covered with names and messages from the most famous to the entirely anonymous. The Brown Clan made their mark, but none of us wrote anything especially ground breaking. With so many before us, in a place with such history, it’s hard not to be lost for words.

With my sheltered early life, I found it all more than eye-opening. This afternoon I retreated within myself for some deep pondering. I cannot make head nor tail of human nature sometimes. War, religion, racism, prejudice; they’re all foreign concepts to me. We Highland cattle are just not wired to be spiteful in any way. As fascinating and most often lovely as I find the human race to be, sometimes I wish they could be more like their four-legged friends. Until they are at peace with themselves and their own identities, how can they hope to accept what’s different?

Ever wandering, never lost

-Moo

13/09/10: Returning to Inverness

My second day in the free world. The day I returned to my ancestral home: Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland. Famous, of course, for Loch Ness and the “fearsome” monster it hold in its depths. I’ve met a few Nessies in my time as a Scottish gift shop souvenir, and I find them to be entirely amiable characters (Save for DrunkeNess perhaps... He’s never been able to hold his drink).

Mode of transportation: automobile. I cannot lie; I was feeling a queasy combination of excitement and nerves for my first car trip. I’ve received mixed opinions about this mode of travel throughout my life, and to be perfectly honest I was terrified of being one of those motion sickness suffering types. Now, with my first car trip to the back of me, I can’t even imagine missing out on the view, the wind in your fur or the road trip tunes for even a second in order to focus on being sick. With my background, I truly understand the importance of making the most out of life, and frankly there’s just no time for feeling sick in my journey of self discovery!

We made a quick stop over at a road side cafe. I wasn’t hungry but I did make good use of the free wifi connection. The internet is truly fascinating to me after what seemed like an eternity of being confined to a single room, with no information about the outside world coming in. I always enjoy the entertainment possibilities. I’ve quickly become a fan of Youtube- I just can’t believe some of the situations cats get themselves into! I must say though, I do think there need to be more Highland Cow videos. We are drastically under represented! For instance, if you are to type "highland cows" into the youtube search bar, you would get a return of 732 videos. If you type "cats" you get 843,000 results. What's so great about a cat attacking its own reflection anyway?

When we reached our destination of Inverness, the sky was filled with rain. I was so tuckered out from the long drive that I remained in the hotel room, remote in hand, Jedward on the screen (more on them later) as the female members of the Brown clan went shopping for provisions (read: clothing). I believe I was fast asleep when they returned.

Now, I do realise that in the world outside of Scotland, not everyone knows much about the majestic highland cattle at all. So I have prepared a brief list of facts for you, and more shall be coming in my about me page at a later date:

• 
  
  Highland cows are a breed of beef cattles (Imagine! people actually EAT us!) with longer fur than most. Their meat is leaner than a lot of other breeds, as we have our fur to keep us warm as opposed to fat like others.
• 
  
  We were bread from two original sets of stock, one black and one reddish in colour. Nowadays we come in an array of colours. I would best describe myself as either a dun, or yellow (synthetic fur is hard to classify).
• 
  
  We are a hardier breed than most, due to the elements we have to withstand such as rough torain and rougher winds.
• 
  
  The Scottish word for the highland cow is "kyloe" and a group is referred to as a "fold."
• 
  
  We also have horns. Rather impressive ones I might add

For more, try google. It's a fantastic website where you can search any imaginable thing! I'm quite a fan.

Ever wandering, Never lost-

Moo

12/09/10: The Rebirth of Moo

The day of my arrival into the world!

Previously, I had been held physically and mentally captive in the evil clutches of the “Best of Scottish” gift shop clerks. Surrounded by my equally ever-suffering kin, scattered items of tourist interest and scraps of tartan from various clans, I had little to live for. If not for the distant smell of freshly rained-on highland grass that could have been real or imagined, I may not have been here on this fateful day. The day my true destiny- to travel the world, encountering adventures of all kinds and finding my inner self- began.

Let’s set the scene. Edinburgh; the Summer of 2010. A “quaint” “Scottish” souvenir store, nestled into the bustle that is the Royal Mile. Me and my fellow “cuddly coos” nestled together for warmth and safety, on our threadbare shelf, 4th from the top. How was I to know that this day, beginning like any other, would become a day of such unfathomable significance in my previously mundane life? I wasn’t- let me tell you! But first, before I begin the tale of my Rebirth, let me tell you a small amount about myself.

My name is Moo. Or at least it is now that someone has bothered to grace me with my own title. I am one of Scotland’s most renowned and revered animals: the Highland Cow (pronounced Haighland Coo in Scots-speak of course). I wish I could tell you my age, but to be honest, I am not too sure. Time before my Rebirth seemed to have no beginning to me, and I thought it would have no end. Thankfully, I have left that behind me now. My former life can hardly be called living, so I doubt I would celebrate the day it began if I knew it anyway.

On to my tale! On this uncharacteristically sunny Scottish day, at approximately 1430 hours, I met my true family. In the interest of anonymity, I cannot of course, tell you too much about them but I can say that I am now a proud member of the Brown clan. I am yet to procure a sample of our clan tartan, as it is a wee bit harder to find than those of the more well known clans, but I would surely love to deck myself out in our traditional family attire. It is something I hope to achieve before we leave Scotland in the coming days. For now, please enjoy the background, consisting of the Brown Clan tartan. It's all I have.

One particular member of this small branch of the Brown clan (there are four of us in total on our wee trip but I am told there are many more family members and friends for me to meet back home- but that’s a story yet to begin of course) took particular interest in me and insisted I became part of the family. She is quite taken with the “peculiar appearance” of the Highland Cows (her opinion, not at all reflecting my own- walking on two feet? Now THAT’S peculiar). Differences of opinion aside, we hit it off and I’m glad to say we have become inseparable in a matter of days.

Finally I could feel the Scottish wind in my fur! I was free. It’s a joy I wish I could describe but words just can’t do justice to moments like that. I spent my first day like any giddy escapee- pleasure from the simplest of life’s offerings and all that. Not only did I have the chance of tasting my first real meal but I got a real treat in my first pint of Strongbow cider. It’s sure to be a lifelong favourite. The day of my Rebirth coincided with a parade of some 250 horses down the Royal Mile. The sight of their wind-swept manes cemented my instinct that the Brown Clan was the family for me- a trip around UK, Ireland and Europe ahead of me, is the freedom I couldn’t even imagine before. After the trip, I’ll be living permanently in Sydney, Australia. I’m told the cows there have short fur! I am however, sure that someday I’ll set my sights to the horizon, in search of another strange land to discover.

But for now, my adventure is just beginning

Ever wandering, never lost
-Moo