Misty water coloured memories….

I think every single one of the readers of this blog has a role to play in why we are here right now. I think all of my friends are instrumental in larger or smaller amounts for putting me where I am today.

Tonight I have been involved in a fascinating conversation with Ady, Mike (my not swinger friend) and Chloe (his 14 year old daughter) about philosophy, why we should do one thing every day that scares us and the string of coincidences that brought into existance and what our responsibilities are now that we are here.

So forgive me for being a few glasses down and therefore a bit deep and drunken-full 😉

But each of you readers have shaped my life in some way. If I start naming people I fret about leaving some out but Helen (who lives on a boat) it was in meeting you and hearing about your travelling adventures that I decided this was something we could still embark on rather that something we should feel was already behind us, Helen (not the boat one, the one with the beans) you endlessly inspire me to be better, more unselfish, more giving of myself, Joyce, you are as ever my life icon, someone who doesn’t get control over all the shit life chucks at you but you deal with it with dignity, positivity and awe inspiring amazingness. Allie – as ever I remain wanting to march behind you with a banner for whatever it is you are writing about, Ali – listener to so many of my rants and dreams, red (or orange) to my blue :), Michelle, Kirsty, Barbara, friends indeed to us when in need, sounding boards, supporters, cheerers on. Alison, for possibly knowing me better than I sometimes know myself, Layla & Si, living our dream with us along the way, Jo, a hugely inspiring person to me for so many reasons, not least your ability to share things and keep pushing on …. I dont even know who else is reading really – if you are and I’ve missed you out feel free to shout and I’ll tell you precisely why you are important to me.

But Jan and Jonathan… examples of people who’s paths we would not have crossed were it not for Home Education I think. Professionals to our unskilled careers, doing it the more structured way to our autonomous lazy bugger approach, Christians to our raving atheists and to the casual observer such very different people to us.

Except, there was a spark, something about their company that has meant we returned to stay with them possibly more times than anyone else (except Barbara, but then we practically lived there!). Not just the gorgeous house (which remains quite my favourite house I know), not just a hankering after their lifestyle (remote, gorgeous, land to grow food and keep livestock and host big party camps) but their company. The peaceful, calming influence of Jan, the prodding, verging on anarchic (certainly with regard to musical taste) presence of Jonathan. The complementary and different personalities of Catie, Megan and Jasper (who given I sent contributions to the mother blessing by post for I consider I knew pre-birth!). I have a lot of J&J house based memories in my bank. The night various people had to come in because tents had blown down, playing that game where you had to mime song titles, rolling a car back and forth with Caroline Wellyboots before she announced her pregnancy, driving up and down their crazy lane in pretty much every vehicle we’ve owned for the last five years including various company cars, my clapped out Sharan and of course Willow. Coming to see what Ady was doing to Willow on the drive to discover five guilty looking blokes gathered around the front seat of Willow while she had no steering wheel attached and a big jumble of intestine-looking wires spewing out from the steering column.

But most of all I recall late night conversations with Jan and Jonathan. Jan and I have chatted on so many subjects from parenting to home ed to religion and without fail I go away with a fresh perspective on things and a renewed enthusiasm for trying a different path. Jonathan I continue to hold partially responsible for us being here on Rum at all. After a very late night conversation one of the (many) things we discussed was what I would do if I could do anything at all. I remember discussing a dream to create a land based project, based on self sufficiency for the four of us. Once we’d done that we’d invite others to see it and learn about it. We’d live off grid in some cool eco self build and we’d become a destination for likeminded folk, keen to learn about a different path. Sound familiar?

It feels only right and proper that this realisation of our dreams is somewhere so close to the hearts of J&J, almost within view of their regular holiday destination on Skye. A tiny wee commute for them (relatively speaking) to hop across and see what on earth we are getting up to.

So today having finished baking stuff we all got up early and went to set up the craft fayre with Fliss then headed to the pier to meet the boat. Jonathan stood out by being tall and wearing orange and calling across the sea from way out ‘Hello Nic!’ Also on board were Mike & Chloe so a fairly chaotic few hours between boats as we tried to cram in as much of our life here as possible taking in the croft, the village, the otter hide walk, the craft shop, the castle and meeting as many people as we could so J&J could go away putting faces to names. Mike and Chloe came along too and both parties said they had enjoyed meeting each other so hopefully it was a successful collision of worlds :).

We waved goodbye – having successfully managed to get Jasper on board too (which was by no means a given although he would have been VERY welcome to stay here :)) and walked back to the village then drove to the croft. Mike and Chloe were hungry (one thing we’d managed to not do was feed everyone :oops:) so we fed them and the animals and then walked back to the village for a couple of drinks at the shop so they could experience the full Rum deal. We chatted to a few people and then walked back to the croft for dinner.

Davies and Scarlett monopolised Chloe for ages talking about consoles, games and zombies and then they went to bed and we had a very interesting chat about philosophy. I do love teenagers 🙂 Am very excited at the prospect of getting a couple of my own 🙂

Everyone else has gone to bed and I probably should do too – Mike the Ranger is off island but has told various tourists to go and find the Goddard Family on the Sheerwater tomorrow as ‘they can identify most things!’ so I guess we’re doing rangering tomorrow – bring on the basking sharks I say 🙂