Faithful readers (hi, mom!) will recognize this image of Abbotsford from my book Celtic Lightning.  The historical novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) created this castle-like residence, now a museum, 40 miles south of Edinburgh in the Scottish Borders. Sheena shot the photo a few years ago, when last we visited.
End of March, I have a fighting chance of getting back to Abbotsford, thanks to a new "friendship bridge" that extends between the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.  I have fallen heir to a whirlwind, four-day speaking tour, and one of the places I will visit is Galashiels (see image below), which is three miles from Scott's creation.
My presentation is entitled Let's Take Back Arctic History: The John Rae Story. I argue that the  orthodox or 'official' version of Arctic exploration history focuses almost exclusively on Royal Navy officers, omitting the contributions of Canada's indigenous peoples and fur-trade explorers like that peerless Scottish-Orcadian John Rae.
Those who have read Fatal Passage or Dead Reckoning will know where this is going. Anyway, if you find yourself in Scotland on May 26, 27, 28 or 29, you can catch my song-and-dance, successively, in Dumfries, Galashiels, Ayr, and Helensburgh. No, no, please don't feel obligated to attend in more than one venue, or two at most, and by no means should you make a special trip from Canada -- not unless you are flying on points. Hope to see you in Galashiels!

Ken McGoogan, identified recently by the BBC as an "obscure Canadian writer," has declined to don his kilt to appear on CTV's Your Morning show. McGoogan, who recently caused an international ruckus by suggesting that Canada invite Scotland to become this country's 11th province, was quick to add that nobody at the flagship TV show -- or anywhere else, for that matter -- had asked him to wear his kilt. "But a debate has been raging in my mind," he said. "Finally, I took a stand. I respectfully declined.'"
The author, whose recent books include Celtic Lightning and How the Scots Invented Canada, contends that the BBC allusion to his obscurity was gratuitous and hurtful. He is on record as preferring "insufficiently celebrated." McGoogan will appear on the CTV show, which is hosted by Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake, this Wednesday (April 19) at 7:45 a.m.
The author is taking an equally hard line as regards his illustrated presentation at the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. Slated to talk about Celtic Lightning, McGoogan said, "Yes, I will also elaborate my Scottish proposal. But don the kilt to perform? No. As I told the voices in my head, you do have Scottish roots, but also Irish and French. People would accuse you of over-representing. Who do you think you are?" McGoogan will speak at the Schoolhouse in the heart of historic Toronto on Tuesday, April 25.
Four days later, during the nation-wide Authors for Indies celebrations, McGoogan will appear kiltless, though not without trousers, at Book City in the Beaches. He pledges to wear his kilt, however, to give a St. Andrew's Night presentation in Embro.  About that, more anon.

Let's invite Scotland to join Canada.
The time to act is now. The Scots aren't happy with the Rest of Britain. They aren't happy politically with Britain's shift to the right. They aren't happy with Brexit, and with being piped out of a multinational alliance they don't wish to leave.
The Scots want to hold a second referendum on independence, but they're hitting a brick wall.
Time to extend an invitation. Would the Scots consider becoming a province of Canada? With a population of 5.3 million, Scotland would become our third largest province, after Ontario (13.9 million) and Quebec (8.3 million).
Canada's federal system of government already accommodates one officially "distinct nation." We could easily welcome a second.
These days, distance is no barrier. Scotland is closer to Canada (2085 miles) than Hawaii is to California (2471 miles).  And culturally? Well, I've already made that case in How the Scots Invented Canada and Celtic Lightning.  Yes, you can see where this is going: first we invite Scotland, then we call for Ireland. Is anybody with me?