Category Archives: Family

A Shadow in the Past, Aberdeenshire, Family, family history, New Adult, Novels, Photographs, Publishing, Scotland, Writing

Photos and such…

June 3, 2015 Melanie 1 Comment

This was first posted on Feb 26, 2011.

I posted a photo of my grandfather and his first wife that was taken presumably on their wedding day a few years ago. I’m reposting it along with two more from the family archives.

photos — Grandpa John Robertson with his first wife, Susan Christie

This photo was definitely taken in a studio setting and judging by their clothing and the way her hair is styled, it had to be a special occasion. Hence, the thought of it being a wedding photograph.

Grandpa Robertson was born in 1856 and married for the first time 20 years later. And yes, that is my grandfather, not great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather.

After looking carefully at the photo for a few minutes, close your eyes and imagine it in full colour, an oil painting of huge proportions… 6 ft by 8 ft (or larger still) and it’s hanging on a rich oak panelled wall. Can you visualize it in that setting?

That’s where it is in my novel. This is the Laird and Lady of Weetshill on their wedding day.

In my novel, the old Laird looks much more like this…

This photograph of an older Grandpa Robertson was taken some time before his death in 1930. I’m thinking maybe between 1915 (the year my grandmother-his second wife) and 1917 (the year my father and four of his nine siblings were admitted to The Orphan Homes of Scotland). By that time, he’d had a stroke with loss of memory and was unable to keep up the farm.

This is how I envision the hero’s grandfather. White-haired, balding, mustache and beard.

The old Laird in my novel also walks with a cane.

And finally this photograph from the archives…

This photo was taken on my Uncle Angus’s wedding day in Scotland. My father (Robert) was serving overseas with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders at the time but was able to get leave to go back to Scotland for the occasion. It would have been the last time my father saw his brothers.

Now there’s no mistaking the men in this photo are related but look closely at the young man in the first photo, the old man in the second one and lastly (mostly Robert) the men in this photo. Perhaps, a natural progression of how my hero will age?

Family, Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 10, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Happy Mother’s Day

To all of you out there who are mothers, grandmothers and even great-grandmothers, I wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day.

For me, I’ll be partaking in what has become a tradition since losing my mum in the fall of 2012. Now on Mother’s Day, I visit the cemetery and leave flowers at her grave.

The cemetery celebrations started the day we buried my mum’s ashes. We sent her off with a song by her favourite singer – Vince Gill, and her favourite tipple – champagne. For the last few years of her life, I spent a lot of time out home doing as I called it “mother-sitting”. She introduced me to everyone who came into the house as “This is my daughter, Melanie. She’s writing a book.” So when I was offered my contract, it seemed right that I should celebrate there with her and my dad.

How do you celebrate Mother’s Day?

celebrations, Family, Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day!

June 15, 2014 Melanie Leave a comment

Father’s Day – how do you honour your father?

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers out there! How do you spend the day? What does Father’s Day mean to you?

My father was one of the 7,000 children sent out to Canada through the Orphan Homes of Scotland between 1861 and 1938.

Although he was born in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire,

View Larger Map
Dad was raised at the village homes near Bridge of Weir, approximately 15 miles west of Glasgow.

View Larger MapThe name Orphan Homes of Scotland implies the children who went there were orphans. That wasn’t always the case. My father wasn’t an orphan. He was one of ten children and after his mother died when he was just two years old, his father had a stroke and couldn’t look after the family.

Grandpa Robertson was married twice. The children from his first marriage helped out as best they could, but in the end, my father and four of his siblings (all from the second marriage) who were sent off to the Orphan Homes of Scotland.

Cottage 1 Quarriers Village - Broadfield Home — My father and his brothers, George and Andy, stayed here in Broadfield Home (Cottage 1).

Because there was no such thing as co-ed living, sisters couldn’t stay in the same house as their brothers. Brothers couldn’t even visit their sisters without the housemother’s consent and only for a short time.

Cottage 13 - Quarriers Village — My father’s sisters, Barbara and Christina, stayed here in Leven Home (Cottage 13).

After my father came to Canada, he worked on a number of farms in the Brockville area and enlisted with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders during World War II.

photo of my father — Robert A Robertson 1913-1969

Phillips Cables (sadly now the property is just an empty lot) provided him with employment from the time my father returned from the war and while he worked there, he met my mother.

robert and ruth's wedding 1950 — My parents’ wedding – July 22, 1950

Sadly, I lost my Dad on April 29, 1969 as the result of a workplace injury. He may not be with me anymore but he lives on in my heart.

Authors, Ayelen Barrios Ruiz Pagano, Family, Kindle, Novels, Reading, The Donahues, YA fiction

The Donahues – #review

June 6, 2014 Melanie Leave a comment

The Donahues by Ayelen Barrios Ruiz Pagano

Blurb: On Emily’s sixteenth birthday, she discovers a letter that tells of her long lost father, who not only wants her back but is also filthy rich! Tensions between her and her mother were never very good, and with this letter, they escalate to where Emily moves out for the summer to her new/old family – at their opulent summer home. Find out how Emily wrestles with her feelings, finds love and balances her two families in “The Donahues”.

Review:

Emily O’Donnell’s life is that of a typical teen – that is until her sixteenth birthday when she finds out that the man she always believed was her father wasn’t. That would be enough to send any teen into a speed wobble. Ayelen skillfully relates Emily’s emotional turmoil at making this discovery. Feelings of betrayal, not knowing her true identity and teenage angst are sympathetically but realistically portrayed by the author.

This is a great debut novel and I look forward to reading more of Ayelen Barrios Ruiz Pagano novels.

~~~~~~~

About the Author:

Ayelen is a proud fanatic of Disney, bad reality TV, and all things romance. She’s always looking to find a new project to occupy her already busy time. Loving nothing less than a good story you can find her reading, writing, or watching a movie based on a book somewhere in Canada.

You can buy The Donahues from these booksellers:

http://safkhetpublishing.com/books/soul/The_Donahues.html
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IG9M4RO
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IG9M4RO
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00IG9M4RO

Family, Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 11, 2014 Melanie Leave a comment

Happy Mother’s Day

To all of you out there who are mothers, grandmothers and even great-grandmothers, I wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day.

my mother — Ruth (Neddo) Robertson May 13, 1930 – September 14, 2010

For me, I’ll be partaking in what has become a tradition since losing my mum in the fall of 2012. Now on Mother’s Day, I visit the cemetery and leave flowers at her grave.

with-manuscript — Celebrating with my contract, manuscript and champagne

Christmas, Family, Holidays, nutcracker

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2013 Melanie 1 Comment

I’m well behind in my Christmas preparations, shopping, cooking, decorating. The only thing I believe I managed to get done on time was my cards written and mailed to the folks on this side of the pond as well as the other. And since the opposite side has an earlier mailing deadline, fingers crossed everyone received theirs in time for tomorrow.

During the ice storm this past weekend, I finally got around to putting my tree up and decorating it. I started Saturday and finished on Sunday.

I love the fur-trimmed, red outfit my angel wears. It reminds me of the gowns in the movie White Christmas. And no Christmas would be complete without my nutcrackers putting in an appearance.

This isn’t all of them either. I have two 42″ ones that I didn’t get out this year. And I believe there’s another 12″ one tucked away somewhere, too. You’d almost get the impression I like nutcrackers. I even think I have enough nutcracker ornaments that I could do my tree in nothing but them. As it is there are some of them that didn’t make it to the tree. I have other ones that need to go up – the pairs of hockey skates, figure skates, the photo frame ornaments, Santa ornaments, train, rocking horse, gingerbread men… the only one that doesn’t go on the tree is the one that used to be on my grandmother’s every year that she gave to me when I was a little girl. I used to put it on the tree (usually up high where a wagging tail wouldn’t knock it off) but after getting more old-fashioned looking ornaments, I decided I liked the look better than with the glass baubles.

I can’t believe that today is Christmas Eve. It certainly doesn’t feel like it. We’re going to have a white Christmas this year, albeit with a crust of ice on top of the snow. Most of our trees have half an inch of ice on them and two of my evergreens are bent way over.

The deciduous trees look beautiful coated in ice when they’re backlit by the sun. And at minus double-digit temperatures, they’ll stay that way for quite some time. At least the winds haven’t picked up – like predicted – so we shouldn’t have to worry about limbs coming down.

The poor evergreens, on the other hand, while they still look beautiful, they’ve lost their fullness – their branches weighted down under a layer of snow and ice. And in some cases, the entire tree is bent over from the weight like my juniper that stands at the back corner of our garage.

Wherever you are this holiday season, I wish you warmth and safety. If you’re without power as many people in parts of Ontario and the US are from this storm, I hope you get it restored quickly.

All the best to you and your families for the remainder of 2013 and for the years to come.

From all of us here at The House of King,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

4RV Publishing, Aberdeenshire, Appearances, Authors, Book Launch, Family, Novels, Publicity, Publishing, readers, Reading, roots, Scotland, Travel, Writing, YA fiction

BOOK LAUNCH DAY for A SHADOW IN THE PAST

August 17, 2013 Melanie 5 Comments

BOOK LAUNCH DAY for A SHADOW IN THE PAST in SCOTLAND

After years of dreaming and wondering if my dream would ever come true, I’m happy to say that my Scottish Book Launch of A Shadow in the Past is happening. Yay! There was a lot of hard work and rejection slips along the way, but it’s finally happening.

book launch poster with quotes

But why is it so important to me that I launch my book in Scotland after being at its debut in the US then hosting a launch in my hometown?

Well, it’s this. My father came to Canada as a Scottish Home Child through the auspices of The Orphan Homes of Scotland in 1930. I fell in love with the country and its people right from the time I stepped off the plane on my first trip in 1993. Subsequent trips followed and the spark of a story came to me inspired by the area surrounding my father’s birthplace. That story grew into a novel and I promised myself that when I got published, I would host a launch in the Rannes Hall in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire.

celebrations, Family, Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day!

June 16, 2013 Melanie 7 Comments

Father’s Day – how do you honour your father?

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers out there! How do you spend the day? What does Father’s Day mean to you?

My father was one of the 7,000 children sent out to Canada through the Orphan Homes of Scotland between 1861 and 1938.

Although he was born in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire,

View Larger Map
Dad was raised at the village homes near Bridge of Weir, approximately 15 miles west of Glasgow.

After my father came to Canada, he worked on a number of farms in the Brockville area and enlisted with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders during World War II.

Phillips Cables (sadly now the property is just an empty lot) provided him with employment from the time my father returned from the war and while he worked there, he met my mother.

Sadly, I lost my Dad on April 29, 1969 as the result of a workplace injury. He may not be with me anymore but he lives on in my heart.

Family, music

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 12, 2013 Melanie Leave a comment

Happy Mother’s Day

To all of you out there who are mothers, grandmothers and even great-grandmothers, I wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day.

For me, I’ll be partaking in what has become a tradition since losing my mum in the fall of 2012. Now on Mother’s Day, I visit the cemetery and leave flowers at her grave.

At some point during the day tomorrow, I’ll see my daughter – either at her place or here. I don’t have any champagne in but that can be rectified before tomorrow, although if she has to work tomorrow night, that will put an end to a tipple or two.

Once again, Happy Mother’s Day!

Family, roots, Scotland

My Scottish Roots…

April 29, 2013 Melanie 1 Comment

Since the subtitle of my blog is My Scottish Roots and Writing I decided it was about time I included something about my heritage. And today is a good day to do it.

dad — Robert A Robertson July 30, 1913 – April 29, 1969

My father came to Canada in 1930 – one of the 7,000 children sent out by The Orphan Homes of Scotland founded by Scottish philanthropist William Quarrier, who grew up in extreme poverty and later in life when he had the means to help the less fortunate, he did.

I’ve written an article on Quarrier which was published by The Scottish Banner in December 2001. Funny enough, I didn’t even know the article had been accepted until I opened my paper and there it was. But I digress… back to the business at hand – my Scottish roots.

My father was one of ten children born to John Robertson and Margaret MacDonald in Aberdeenshire, Scotland between 1903 and 1915 (five of which were sent to The Orphan Homes of Scotland).

Grandpa Robertson had been married before and had fathered ten children with his first wife, too. The youngest from this previous marriage was six when he married my grandmother (wife #2)

One thing that I didn’t realize immediately but my grandparents shared the same birthday, not that they could have afforded to buy each other gifts.