The Tapestry Tale from Veere: May 30th 2015

British Ambassador to The Netherlands joins the Mayor of Veere to open the WereldPremiere





Clearly Arran Johnston & Sharon Beck had tracked the right location in that orange van, and found ample parking outside Schotse Huizen! Hanneke de Vroe and the Piper were there too! Unloading could begin of the 'accumulated' panels above the 217 the Golden Girls had already brought south from Bergen. The updated Cluster leaflets and the 2nd Edition, being the Complete Guide, had just been delivered hot off the presses. And the master display of all 34 countries had been updated too.




There was music to come. Not just fine sounds from the Middleburg Singers to which Hanneke belongs but from the belfry of the City Hall. There an ancient pin organ mechanism plays whatever tune you wish on the hour and Loch Lomond was the choice for the coming 2 months.




The day was full of surprises and delights. Not least were the tapestry chocolates of which souvenirs to take back to Scotland for Yvonne Murphy and Gillian Hart were gratefully received. But more than that, the long lost emblem of office of The Conservators of Scottish Privileges had been found safely - in a trunk, in an attic back home by Sir John Dermot Turing, Nova Scotia Baronet [see panels CA 01/ 02 ], a Conservatorial descendant. He was there to present it to the current encumbent, boxed and bedded on the Veere tartan. [And unsurprisingly Sir John's family were devoted Jacobites who fought at Worcester.] And then, in the City Hall, what is on full display but a fine vessel of Scotland's pre-Union Navy flying the ancient national red ensign with the Royal Arms on its stern.





... and finally, the British Ambassador to The Netherlands, Sir Geoffrey Adams [Scottish home and wife], together with the Mayor of Veere, took their place before Auld Lang Syne - which as tradition [now] has it, was boisterously sung. The Exhibition was declared open and toasted in champagne with a Quaich of whisky to share for the ViPs - lucky them!



... but for the Ambassador and the rest of us there is some important unfinished business, The altar tumblers [depicted below] from the Scottish Church in Veere, which is no more, have somehow found their way to Manchester Cathedral. A far more suitable home awaits them in Veere .... to be continued