Spreading the love

Yesterday I went for a bike ride up Corstorphine Hill, a good spot nearby for a bit of a play around in the woods (on bikes, at least). I've been going there for years; there's always a lot of fun to be had, and you get a wonderful sense of the seasons changing there.

As usual, I grunted up the climb to the wood and took a rest at this bench at the top:















which has this fantastic view towards Edinburgh:















Stopping at this bench is a special part of the ride for me, because it's one of those ones that's been placed by someone as a memorial - in this case, by two sons for their father:





'In memory of Richard Vanhagen
1902-1987
"He Loved Life"
Erected by his loving sons'






Thing is, I was one sitting on the bench doing my stretches and this old chap came by. We got chatting; he was visiting from South Africa. He turned out to be one of the sons who'd dedicated the bench. He plainly loved life as much as his father had, and was very pleased to see me enjoying it on their bench. It didn't bother him that at that time cycling was forbidden there. It was quite moving to think of how one man's love of life can so simply spread out and pass itself on through a bench to complete strangers.

So I always stop and think of the Vanhagens when I'm there, and how easy it can be to make a difference.