Important to you?

[John Little]

As I write, my wife is in the living room watching the telly; she is watching a recording of ‘The Bridge’. I can only take so much telly and I watched Back to the Future 2 this afternoon so have no desire for more.

In The Bridge there is a blonde woman detective who is autistic and has no empathy or connection to what distress is. Emotional things that affect other people greatly pass her by on the other side and she has no comprehension at all of why what she has said factually and dispassionately affects folk in the way that it does. She reminds me a bit of a sort of Swedish Mr Spock.

It does however make me think about feelings and what is important in what we feel. Or what is important and how we express it.

It’s important to me to move, to be able to think straight, to see my family and hug them occasionally. To savour wine, to feel the breeze off the sea; to drink in the countryside.

Thinking back, there were things that were important that no longer are; winning a race, hitting a target with a bullet, reaching the trig point on a mountain, finishing a long walk of a few hundred miles. These do not seem to matter any more – age I suppose.

Outside of politics and religion which have much of sourness to them, it seems to me that this forum would benefit from more general conversation; like it used to have.

General craic, musings on the state of things and observations on the human condition. And there’s enough folk out there to do it too.

So what’s important to you? What’s important for you to feel, to see, to experience?

Yeah – I’m just nosy…

[bekisman]

Interesting post John, things change during our lives, our aims DO fade, your "Thinking back, there were things that were important that no longer are; winning a race, hitting a target with a bullet, reaching the trig point on a mountain, finishing a long walk of a few hundred miles. These do not seem to matter any more – age I suppose." Speak for yourself you young whippersnapper! I'm still planning to go (with Mrs Becks) to the North West Territories and kayak the 1,000 miles of the Mackenzie River, a plan that had been finalised with the RCMP back in the 80's until a serious injury nearly killed me, which put it on the back burner. Since then a ruptured Achilles Tendon, two replacement knees, epilepsy and advancing age, has - to be honest - given me pause for thought, I 'want' to do it, the mind is willing but the flesh is weak! so we will see..
Age is not the barrier, with Mrs Becks walking the 903 miles End to End three years ago aged 62.
My adage of "this is not a rehearsal" informs me that I ain't dead yet, at 70+ I still have time left and there's still more trig points to reach before the grim reaper comes a knocking!

[John Little]

Gawd - a human.

I was starting to think this was tumbleweed.

Well I do confess that you and Mrs Beks are rather an exception to the rule. Walking John o Groats to Lands end is quite an achievement at any age - I only cycled it one year!!

I do say though that the MacKenzie River is quite a plan at 70! I would not discourage you, but in my case I feel I must make allowances for my own bodily changes
I still reach trig points - it's just that I have not the trophy catching urge about it that I used to.

More power to your elbow though if you can do the Kayak thing.
Mrs L thought she could not cycle from Zeebrugge down to the Somme and back last May - but she did. It aint over till it's over!

Anyway - you're big enough to smack the grim reaper one in the eye if he tries it!

[John Little]

Could put anything on here really....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea7yIi-VbU8

[moureen]

Greetings John Little.....a post I can reply to thank you!! What's important to me???well I have just returned home from working 20hr shift working is important to me,being able to go West and enjoy the mountains..Benloyal,being able to meet my friends enjoy our conversations,enjoy a glass of wine and its important to me to be safe in my beloved Highlands be able to wear what I want ,go where I want,wear out rages colours,and its imoprtant to me to be able to laugh be happy and love each other.

[John Little]

Oh what a good reply and one I relate to- and I have just been writing about Ben Loyal by pure coincidence!

The Causeymire with rain and mist sweeping across it too.

I forgot to mention the feeling from great music, and that differs so much from person to person.

[rich62_uk]

Family and health. I have few wants or needs other than that so rather boring. Other things I like but they are not important just likes.

[Dadie]

Hugs n snuggles from the kids are important ...they are little and hugs n snuggles will soon be in the past.
Chat about their day is important as if you don't listen to the little stuff you miss the big things such as bullying or worse.
See things through a child's eyes when they see things for the 1st time ....kitchen table experiments etc ... crystal growing is boring for adults but exciting for lil kids.
Savouring the moment to huddle up in a sleeping bag on the trampoline in the garden and watch the northern lights ...hot choc optional.
Seeing your child understand Mum used to have a life "before kids" when sharing an interest in a sport that she thought was "new".
Uderstanding little things are as important as big things and making time for the lil things ...so lil things don't blow up into big things is important...
Plus work ..its important too!

[moureen]

John.....thank you ment to add important to me family goes without saying,the seasons the changing of colours,being free and able to live my life as I want oh I could go on,and on!!!!!!! By the way can I ask why your writing about Ben Loyal?(one word last time was tired!!!!)and love The Bridge!!!!

[John Little]

It seems to me that folk in Caithness generally know where the centre of the earth is as far as what is important- that was always my impression.

Ben Loyal? Well you may gather that I'm putting the finishing touches to an ebook based on my life in Thurso and one of the episodes I describe was a trip down that way. I make no claims as to my writing for I only write what I feel, but it was only a small piece so I put it here:


"Quickly the terrain became mountainous and bleak uninhabited wilderness of heather, moor and peat. In the valleys were bushes and trees leant over by strong and frequent wind, but they did not catch the eye, for dominating the landscape were giant rounded hills with not a human nor a dwelling place in sight, and lochs twinkling blue in crisp clear air.Jon looked at one huge and dominant pile and asked what it was called and was told that it was Ben Loyal and the loch in front, large, calm and without a boat or sail on it was Loch Loyal. Here in Hyperborean solitude was pantheistic wonder to rival anything in the world, a panorama so ravishing to the eye that had it been set in the heart of the Lake District, it would have been thronged with boats and people. Searing savage beauty, wild, virgin and primitive was laid out before all comers for them to emboss in their inner minds as a mark against which to measure other places on earth. From here on Jon could listen to people speak of wonderful things across the world and think with inner certainty that they had not seen real beauty in nature until they saw the birds fly lonely over Loch Loyal in view of the Ben"

[moureen]

John that is beautiful I don't think there is anywhere else on earth that is so wild,and to me the best place to be.

[John Little]

I agree. There may be places on Earth that are as beautiful as the Northern Highlands, but there are none that are more so.

I have cycled from Tongue to Lairg, stayed at the Crask, and it is a vast largely unused source of wonder for anyone who likes the outdoors. The bones of the land are there to see.

[SkozkrHorgr]

Finally a thread about good things! Thank you John.

I'm currently not up there yet, but I yearn to be.
Until meeting my wife 5 years ago I wandered through life aimlessly, no plan, no direction. Then bang, all change, life had meaning and we set ourselves down the path of getting us up to live in Caithness. We still have lots to do, but we will make it, we have the land we're planning the house and then the fun begins.

The peace, the views, the open sky, even the weather (Sat in our old caravan in 80+ mph winds is always an experience) in all its forms are loved by both of us. We're not coming with big intentions, big new ideas, we want to learn how things are done and why. When we finally do get up permanently, you probably won't even know we're there(hopefully).

So again thank you for a thread I feel comfortable in adding to.

[moureen]

Many good memories of the Crask that was our pit stop on way home a welcome light on a dark night and of course a dram!!!! SkozkrHorgr when you move up remember to visit Sutherland!!!!

[John Little]

Did you ever take the ferry and minibus out to Cape Wrath?

Now there's scenery too!

Bumpy though.

[moureen]

Never got as far as Cape Wrath we used to go to Durness for dances and Kinlochbervie coming round that bend just before village with the sea on your right nothing like it.Also going up Strath Naver just as the sun is setting........

[SkozkrHorgr]

We're always stopping off in Sutherland and exploring, but I always feel a little sad when I see the Welcome to Sutherland sign when heading back south to work and responsibilities...

[moureen]

I know that feeling Skoz,I'm lucky now to be living in Caithness my friend is back in Skerray so I have best of both worlds.

[bekisman]

Many good memories of the Crask that was our pit stop on way home a welcome light on a dark night and of course a dram!!!! SkozkrHorgr when you move up remember to visit Sutherland!!!!
Noticed last time drove by, that the Crask Inn is now up for sale; £349,000, many was the time coming back from Inverness in the dark and snowy conditions, to pull into the car park and stop for a hot drink, before continuing North.. hopefully it will be sold to someone who will keep it as an Inn or similar.. Come on John Little, you know you love it up here, come 'home'!

[John Little]

1. I have no wish to run an inn.

2. My southern wife would leave me if I moved North.

3. When they switch the generator off at Crask it is very very dark. I was fast asleep at 3.00am when my spooked wife woke me up with 'John- there's somebody in the room'

Sure enough there was a rustling near the foot of the bed which had the ability to stand your neck hair on end.....

You know that I am quite a large chap so I grabbed my torch and prepared to do battle- and found that the night wind was gently stirring a plastic bag on the window ledge....

It's a lonely place out there.....

[bekisman]

1. I have no wish to run an inn.

2. My southern wife would leave me if I moved North.

3. When they switch the generator off at Crask it is very very dark. I was fast asleep at 3.00am when my spooked wife woke me up with 'John- there's somebody in the room'

Sure enough there was a rustling near the foot of the bed which had the ability to stand your neck hair on end.....

You know that I am quite a large chap so I grabbed my torch and prepared to do battle- and found that the night wind was gently stirring a plastic bag on the window ledge....

It's a lonely place out there.....
Fair enough John Little, must admit having stayed in your house, you have a lovely home and a lovely spot there..

You mentioned to Moureen: "Well you may gather that I'm putting the finishing touches to an ebook based on my life in Thurso" what's this about John, can we get hold of it, how can we access it? tell us more!

[moureen]

It's a lonely place out there..........but safe,safe,safe,
I was also going to ask about your book John how can I access it???? I would love to read it.

[John Little]

Nothing special Beks. We all have a story in us and it's our own life- the narrative that we live from day to day.

Ordinary folk and how they lived get airbrushed out of history and their stories are forgotten until history becomes a tale of great men, the occasional woman and clean faced stereotypes of ordinary folk on Sunday night period dramas.

Yet our humdrum ordinary lives could potentially be quite fascinating to people in the future - and would be if we wrote them down.

I figured that there was enough in me of Caithness when I was a nipper to write a book - and there was. I am putting the finishing touches to it and will self publish it as an E Book in the next day or do. It's about 126 pages and there's quite a few typos need attending to and it takes time. Layout etc also.

I have tried to evoke the spirit of the age and place I lived in, what it was like, the people, the general living - but it is my memories.
Otherwise what I carry in my noodle simply disappears when I pop my clogs.
It might interest some folk - to others it might not; whatever, I am going to be flogging a slab of my life reasonably cheaply so if you want to see what a numpty I was as a kid just give it a day or so....

I fancy you have a book in you too.....

[bekisman]

Nothing special Beks. We all have a story in us and it's our own life- the narrative that we live from day to day.

Ordinary folk and how they lived get airbrushed out of history and their stories are forgotten until history becomes a tale of great men, the occasional woman and clean faced stereotypes of ordinary folk on Sunday night period dramas.

Yet our humdrum ordinary lives could potentially be quite fascinating to people in the future - and would be if we wrote them down.

I figured that there was enough in me of Caithness when I was a nipper to write a book - and there was. I am putting the finishing touches to it and will self publish it as an E Book in the next day or do. It's about 126 pages and there's quite a few typos need attending to and it takes time. Layout etc also.

I have tried to evoke the spirit of the age and place I lived in, what it was like, the people, the general living - but it is my memories.
Otherwise what I carry in my noodle simply disappears when I pop my clogs.
It might interest some folk - to others it might not; whatever, I am going to be flogging a slab of my life reasonably cheaply so if you want to see what a numpty I was as a kid just give it a day or so....

I fancy you have a book in you too.....


Sounds good to me - keep us all informed, Moureen and others are interested (and you ain't going to 'pop your clogs' yet)!

[John Little]

LOL! No indeed - it is not on my immediate agenda!

[squidge]

People. Just now my wee girl just turned 6 is confident and beautiful. She is so confident around people, other children and adults that I forget how shy she can be sometimes. Last night she sang at her first ever Rainbows Concert and she was in the middle of the front row, singing and smiling. After it finished, she burst into tears and cried so hard. Whatever is the matter I asked. "I don't want to do that again". See I had forgotten how hard she finds it to be "on show" because, despite her nerves she does it anyway. It's amazing to see such a wee toot grit her teeth and face up to something that scares her and do such a good job that you who know her best forget the nerves she has. Those are the important moments for me, those moments your heart nearly stops with the enormity and wonder of those you love.

[John Little]

Well Bekisman - I have done it.

The book is published on Kindle. At the moment it is in review, and when they have done with it, which may take a few hours, it will be available. I'll do a link when it comes through.

I repeat - I think you have a book in you......

[John Little]

And it is published - I shall put a link and post into the Literature section.

[bekisman]

Yep, it's there John.. well done (is that 'really' you on the front...)

[John Little]

None other old bean.

None other.