Tarbrax, A Childhood Memory

A Memory of Tarbrax.

When i was an infant, my parents purchased a cottage in Tarbrax. Brought up in Edinburgh, the small village near West Calder was a vast difference. Plenty of open spaces, a shepherd taking sheep through a narrow road behind our cottage and a nearby stream to sail my toy boat.
I spent many happy childhood years from 1957 to 1963 in the village, mainly at weekends. This included being stuck there in January 1963 for an additional three days. The 'Big Freeze' meant my father couldn't drive back to Edinburgh on our usual Sunday evening departure. With food running out for all villagers, a helicopter landed in the football pitch and soldiers carried supplies into the village store/post office run by Mrs Lamb. A silver lining to the aforementioned, I missed my classes at Granton Primary for three days!
Those years at Tarbrax were not only some of my happiest, also for my mother and father, especially the latter. Having a business in Edinburgh with a workforce, the strain at times was evident, but not at Tarbrax. For father, it became a relaxing sanctuary.
Years later, and now working plus being a car owner, I drove to the village with my girlfriend to let her see a piece of my childhood. For a refreshment, we visited the 'Lazy Y' pub. I observed a certain lager, brewed by the company I was employed by in Edinburgh then represented them around Scotland in a variety of roles.
My career as an author did not commence until I reached mid-fifties. The characters I encountered and locations visited provided material for novels, including Tarbrax. It is mentioned in my first and third novels. Happy memories never leave you.

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