I was reflecting over the many individuals who have scribed their initials in to bits of the Whaligoe Steps. There are quite a few and they all tell their own story.
The “W Y T” you see in my photograph happens to belong to someone who lived close to the Whaligoe Steps for essentially his entire life. Sadly he is no longer with us and I personally miss him a lot. Prepare yourself for a wee blog swimming in sentimentality.
In the photograph where he’s sporting his woolly hat and dark blue overalls, he is keeping busy in his shed working on his woodwork. He made chairs, a cupboard and all sorts of items.
Back in the day when I was very fortunate enough to know William “Wull” Taylor, he was a busy and gentle man. If “Wull” was not making something with his carpentry skills, he was reading, fishing, building a miniature model railway or going for a walk in to the wilderness.
He was a prolific fisherman utilising different flies on the end of his fishing rod and calculating which one was going to be the flavour of the season. Visiting a local loch, he would be calm and patient whilst observing all around him.
Many evenings saw the two of us or maybe more tackling old computer games when cassettes were the format of choice. Patiently waiting for games to load before we could get stuck in to them, our conversations would cover subjects like books, magazines, films, plans for the future and life as we observed it. “Wull” enjoyed science fiction pop-culture in the form of Terry Pratchett books, the ‘Red Dwarf’ television programme and I recall when ‘The X-Files’ started out, how we would both be buzzing with enthusiasm about it.
Due to his gentle nature, “Wull” was very much loved in the community. For me personally, it is a delight to think that visitors to the Whaligoe Steps may notice his initials carved in to one of the steps as they either descend or ascend. His memory lives on in a way which only time has shown me.
I have my photographs of him, and my memories of the adventures and experiences we shared. There are signs of him all around me even today which brings me a sense of comfort. People say that when you lose someone dear to you, that you never get over it but learn to live with it. I feel that is a true reflection.
Thanks as always for dropping by. Take care and be safe.