Rest and Be Thankful

This is one of my favorite places in Scotland. The winding road that you see takes you across a long glen to the top of a mountain. The point at the top is called Rest and Be Thankful since the trip used to be so arduous that travelers were happy for a break before starting the difficult trek down the other side.

Sometimes you just need to take a break from family, politics, and the world to look at the pretty pictures, sing songs, and indulge in humor. On the right is Birse Forest. This used to cover a huge section of northern Scotland. A small percentage is left and wonderful for a leisurely drive or hike.

One of the wonderful tongue twisting songs of all time is Mary Mac

There's a nice wee lass and her name's Mary Mac
Make no mistake, she's the miss I'm going to tak
There's a lot of other chaps that would get up on her track
But I'm thinking that they'd have to get up early.

Chorus:
Mary Mac's father's making Mary Mac marry me
My father's making me marry Mary Mac
And I'm going to marry Mary
To get married and take care of me
We'll all be making merry when I marry Mary Mac

Chorus:

Now Mary and her Mither gang an awful lot together
In fact you never see the one or the one without the other
And the fellows often wonder if it's Mary or her mither
Or the both of them together that I'm courtin'

Chorus:

Now the wedding day's on Wednesday and everything's arranged
Her name will soon be changed to mine unless her mind be changed
And we're making the arrangements
and I'm just a bit deranged
For marriage is an awful undertakin'

Chorus:

It's sure to be a grand affair and grander than a fair
There's going to be a coach and pair for every couple there
We'll dine upon the finest fare I'm sure to get my share
If I don't we'll all be very much mistaken