On being European: some
of my earliest memories are of going to Church of Scotland German/British reconciliation services in Edinburgh 1/12

My parents who were born in the early 1930s were always learning French or German at the Institut Français in Edinburgh or at the university 2/12

They took us camping to Czechoslovakia (in 1968) and Hungary in the early 70s. We learnt about communism. Our camping trailer was searched at borders in case we were harbouring refugees 3/12

We were followed round Budapest, befriended by strange people who were spying on us. And taken in by the panicked communist Hungarian mayor of a small town when we broke down outside a military base 4/12

I learnt French and German at school. We spent summers with my mother’s friends in Marburg, camping in the Cevennes and having exchanges with French families. I made many friends 5/12

When the wall came down I went travelling round the former east Germany - and to Weimar to see the home of Goethe and Schiller - and of course the Elephant Hotel 6/12

I spent summer holidays doing youth camps in France restoring ancient monuments. At Guise as a Scot I was welcomed as part of the auld alliance. I studied French and German at university, fell in love with Jacques Brel and leant argot from Renaud 7/12

When I married the first thing we did was go and live in Berlin in 1993. Our first two children were born there. My daughter sang German nursery rhymes at her kindergarten: Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen still reminds me of those deep snowy winters 8/12

My sisters married and had children with Germans and my nephews and niece speak both languages 9/12

I enjoyed being a European citizen and part of a project for peace, democracy and human rights as well as prosperity 10/12

And now my world is diminished because that citizenship is at an end. You never know what you had until you lost it 11/12

I want to embrace my friends in the other side of the channel this new year and hope this is not the end of our friendship. But my heart is broken 12/12