NORTHERN PLANNER

I went to a meeting in Edinburgh the other day. Leith to be precise. It went OK, but other more personal stuff overshadowed the work.

Because the venue was only a stone’s throw away from a very special place for myself a Juliette.

Over ten years ago when we were still in our twenties and ‘courting’ my Dad worked a lot in Edinburgh and we made full use of the company flat he was very fortunate to have. Every other month or so, we had a long weekend in Edinburgh. We love the place. We loved those times. 

Being there brought it all back. It also reminded me that Dr Who regeneration thingy isn’t just science fiction, it’s metaphor. Because every 10 years or so, you really do become another person, yet the same.

Being in Leith again reminded me of having little responsibility, being able to go away at the drop of a hat, being able to stay our until 3am and not suffer for the next three days.

But more importantly, it reminded me of the people Juliette and I used to be. That we got together out of out mutual attraction, a shared love of certain things and, well, being best friends, laughing a lot and having fun together.

We still have all those things, but our carefree selves are ghosts, replaced by parents who feel an even deeper, more visceral love for their children, who have to think a lot more about the future because that future is someone else’s too. Who are more comfortable in their skins. 

But it’s wonderful to have places that evoke these times. We’ll take the kids to Leith sometime but it will always be ours really.

There are other places that will be for the four of us. I greatly anticipate the times my kids will feel goose pimply about the places we shared together and the things we did.