Category Archives: Personal Posts

Outlaw King – and a crazy connection

20 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by in Family History, Personal Posts

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We were at TIFF last week – Toronto International Film Festival – which is always a fantastic event. We choose a range of films from various countries and genres with the added bonus of hearing from directors, actors and producers after the films screened.

One of this year’s films was Outlaw King – directed by David Mackenzie of Hell or High Water fame and with Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s king during the early 14th century. It will come as no surprise to you that I love films with historical settings and this was no exception. The battle scenes and Scottish countryside alone were worth it!

So what’s the crazy connection?

Well, it turns out that I’m descended from Robert the Bruce (aka Robert I). I knew my grandmother on my father’s side always claimed that we were descendants, but I have to admit I always assumed it was one of the family myths that have little to do with reality.

I have a folder containing some family genealogy research my father did a long time ago (he died in 1981, well before Ancestry.com!), so after seeing the film, I decided to examine it more closely. The challenge was to figure out how all the different family trees he had in the folder were connected. One tree begins in 1806 with the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, another shows the Stewart tree beginning with Robert the Bruce (sometimes spelled Bruys). Then there are trees for the Douglas clan, the earlier Buccleuch clan, and another for the Dukes of Queensberry.

Tracing the peerage of Scotland is a difficult task. Dad did it well, but he left no roadmap for those of us who might wish to understand the labyrinthine connections.

Now that I’ve scrutinized the details and checked various Internet sites for clarification, I think I’ve figured it out.

  • a grandson of Robert the Bruce (Robert I) through his daughter Marjory was Robert II
  • Robert II has many children including Isabel (also found spelled as Isabelle)
  • Isabel married James, 2nd Earl of Douglas
  • following the Douglas line down through the centuries, we find Jane, daughter of William, 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Duke of Queensberry (now isn’t that confusing)
  • Jane marries Francis, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch
  • following the Buccleuch line we come to Walter Francis, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensberry and Walter’s son Lord Francis Scott
  • Lord Francis Scott has a daughter Hester Anna Scott
  • Hester marries George W Shields of Ireland; they have a daughter also Hester Anna, who marries Herbert Francis Thomas my great-grandfather

So there you have it … I’m connected to Scottish royalty!

By the way, I highly recommend Outlaw King.

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY (using the widget on the left sidebar)

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.

Grateful for every day

28 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by in Personal Posts

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My husband wanted an adventure vacation. “It’ll be fun,” he said, about a year ago as he showed me the website for a rafting trip down the Nahanni River located in Nahanni National Park Reserve. “Besides, we should see some of Canada’s north.”

As you know, Canada is a vast country with huge swaths of unpopulated land full of pristine lakes, dense forests, wildlife, and windswept tundra. A land that supported our indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the French and English ‘discovered’ it. In the summer, the north is referred to as the land of the midnight sun. (I wore eyeshades every night on the trip to block out the light.)

You can think of the Nahanni area as Canada’s Grand Canyon, although the river bends and twists its way through the sheer canyons that frame both sides. On many occasions we stopped to consider those who travelled the river so many years ago, some of them going upriver rather than down as we did. At certain times of the year the rapids are fierce and dangerous from spring runoff but in August they were much more manageable.

On the way in, we took a float plane – a four-seater Cessna – from Fort Simpson to Virginia Falls which is twice the height of Niagara Falls. Although I’m not a good flyer (I get airsick even on large planes), I’d taken precautions and after the first few minutes, was able to enjoy looking down on the Mackenzie River making its way to the arctic and the land dotted with small lakes and winding rivers followed by the sharp peaks of the Mackenzie mountains.

Each day was spectacular. After early morning porridge and coffee followed by a proper breakfast around 8am, we broke camp and loaded our gear back onto the rafts with the help of three cheerful, skilled guides – Nils, Max and Eric. They rowed and steered us downriver, stopping for occasional breaks and a hearty lunch while we enjoyed the ever-changing scenery. At times we stopped to gather wood for the evening’s camp and cooking fires. When Nils found the night’s camping spot, we put up our tents, blew up the air mattresses, organized sleeping bags and other items while dinner was being prepared.

The food was delicious: salads, steak, lamb kebabs, pork tenderloin, chicken, fresh veggies and fruit, homemade cinnamon buns, cake (!!), french toast, eggs Benedict, the dinners accompanied by beer and wine. I gained three pounds 🙂

Our enjoyment came to a screeching halt on the last day. We arrived in a tiny town called Nahanni Butte where two planes were scheduled to fly us back to Fort Simpson. Along with the pilot, Ian and I, and Jeff, one of our fellow travellers, climbed aboard a different four-seater Cessna and within minutes we were trundling down a dirt runway preparing to take off.

Liftoff is always a mystery to me – how is it possible that a plane, regardless of size, can suddenly be airborne? But there we were that day leaving the ground behind with the whirr of the engine taking us up. When the plane banked suddenly hard and left, wings tipped at a precarious angle, I had only a moment of two to wonder why before we plunged to the ground.

I screamed – who wouldn’t? – several times, but I can’t remember whether it was before we hit the ground or after or both. Suddenly, the pilot was asking if everyone was all right and urging us to get out of the plane. With blood streaming down my face, I scrambled across the pilot’s seat and took his hand to descend while my husband and Jeff emerged from the other side of the plane.

Several wonderful people helped us that day – a lovely woman called Marlene who ran the small health centre in Nahanni Butte; Kerry, Patrick and Christopher our medical evacuation team; the helicopter and air ambulance pilots who flew us first to Fort Liard and then to Yellowknife; Doctor Hannah Shoichet at Yellowknife’s Stanton Territorial hospital and the nurses – Laura, Paula, Stephanie, and Bovina; plus others whose names I don’t know.

Our daughter and son flew out to Yellowknife to help us make our way back to Toronto two days later, Ian nursing a very sore back and me with a totally bandaged head. (No, I won’t share that photo.)

We are eternally grateful for the miracle that kept all of us alive.

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY (using the widget on the left sidebar)

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.

The Stairway to Happiness by Vernon Sankey

19 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by in Connecting Readers & Writers, Personal Posts

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Vernon Sankey and I met on a Baltic cruise – to be more exact, Vernon and his wife were on the sun deck lounging next to my husband and I while listening to the splash of those in the pool and the rather lively music preceding lunch or dinner – on cruises there’s always another meal about to be served! The four of us had a wonderful time exploring various places around the Baltic Sea, sharing meals together and gazing across the water at the ever changing landscape.

I was delighted to discover recently that Vernon has written a book – The Stairway to Happiness. The book presents a critical look at what happiness is, the levels of intensity that can be attained and the techniques to achieve happiness. Vernon explained that the book combines philosophy, cognitive psychology and spirituality to provide practical guidance so that readers can live a more successful, harmonious and happy life. What an exciting premise!

Me: Why this book and why now?

Vernon Sankey: The material in the book and the advice given, processes suggested, and examples shown have all been extensively used in my years of coaching and guiding others. They have provided many people with a way of dealing with and promoting whatever opportunities they have found and whatever difficulties and stresses they have had to confront.

I decided to write this book now because family and friends have encouraged me to do so. Last year I had some health issues which gave me some concentrated time. So it was all done in about 8 months. I then had to learn how to get a book edited, published and printed and that took another 6 months!

Is there a unifying theme for The Stairway to Happiness?

The unifying them of The Stairway is to enable people to understand the ‘secrets of living a successful and happy life’ hence the subtitle of the book.

What does it mean to you to know that your ideas are ‘out there’ for others to share?

My purpose is to help people. This book is a small step in that direction. It means a great deal to me to have these ideas ‘out there’ in the hope that as many people as possible can benefit and enjoy the happiness that I have been fortunate enough to enjoy.

Looking back, how might the concepts in The Stairway to Happiness have changed your life if you’d adopted them sooner?

I have been living with these concepts and ideas for many, many years and they have moulded my life. I am learning all the time and constantly updating my knowledge and myself. It is a wonderful experience on a journey of discovery. Finding true authenticity is a key: this is only found when what you think, what you say and what you do are in perfect harmony, whatever situation you find yourself in.

Can you briefly explain the notion of a stairway as it relates to happiness?

The framework of this book is in the form of a stairway which takes the reader from the simplest and shallowest form of happiness, ‘instant gratification’, to the deepest ‘the happiness of harmony.’ Happiness is a very nebulous term and tends to be so broad as to be meaningless. I have tried to categorise it and give it substance.

The most encouraging aspect of writing this book, and what sustained me and made it a joy to do, was the knowledge that these techniques work. I use them all the time myself. My children use them and they are applying the appropriate techniques to their children too. They are a guide for our lives.

Thank you, Vernon. We all need more happiness in our lives! I wish you great success.

The Stairway to Happiness by Vernon Sankey

The Stairway to Happiness examines what happiness really is. It explores the different levels of happiness that can be attained and the techniques that can be applied to achieve happiness for oneself, one’s loved ones and other people.

“an inspiring and yet practical book” ~~ Reverend Tina Molyneux, Associate Priest of the Church of England

“The Stairway to Happiness is a fascinating, stimulating and inspiring piece of work. I read it all the way through until I finished it at 2 am!” ~~ Martin Hatcher, Former Executive Chairman, Scansource Communications Limited and MTV Telecoms

“The Stairway’s five steps make intuitive sense and the examples from daily life enable the lessons to be put into practice more easily.” ~~ Lynn Paine, John G McLean Professor and Senior Associate Dean for International Development at Harvard Business School

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY (using the widget on the left sidebar)

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.