The Wee Spark that Inspires

We all have dreams but how many of us act on them? This weekend I spent an idyllic Sunday afternoon on the Forth and Clyde Canal on the 'Wee Spark' in the company of Jimmy McFarlane, a man who acted on a dream. Who is Jimmy McFarlane and what is the Wee Spark?

The Wee Spark is a puffer built to one third size of the real thing as in Tales of Para Handy! Jimmy McFarlane and his friend Archie Rennie built the Wee Spark in their spare time using whatever materials they could find because as Jimmy once told me-'I am a Scot and Scots design and build things!' here is an interesting fact - when the wee puffer was built Rennie McFarlane were the 4th biggest ship builders on the Clyde! I am sorry to report that Archie Rennie died earlier this year but we can still celebrate ad appreciate men like Jimmy and Archie who have great skills and are keen to share them and instill in Scots young and old a pride in their country and what has and can be achieved when you set your mind to it. Archie and Jimmy built every piece of the Wee Spark with their own hands in their spare time - and all this from men aged over sixty and eighty!

Yesterdays trip was both relaxing and inspiring. Relaxing to be out on the canal in beautiful autumn sunshine and hear Jimmy tell stories of times on board with friends and inspiring to hear stories of how the Wee Saprk came to be built and his his hopes for more small scale versions of Scottish icons like the puffer and the tug. Despite efforts to interest agencies and funders in the project and its potential Jimmy and Archie had no luck so they set about to 'just do it and they succeeded. The way to live your dream? Find someone who shares your passion. Believe you can do it and plan and work hard towards it steadily and slowly. Seek help along the way but do not depend on it -the dream is yours and you are the one who can make it happen with support from your friends or other like minded people. Make it fun, enjoy the process and invite others to hear your story and share in the dream. What possibilities there are in the building of more puffers of tugs or ships of this kind on our waterways -be it canals or rivers? The skills learned, the confidence gained, the pride in our heritage and in our own handiwork, the telling of stories past present and future and at the end a useful product which can bring work and pleasure. The Wee Spark brought a smile to everyone's face yesterday and many asked could they come on board.  En route we advised American visitors about more walks along the canal. Locals and visitors alike can learn and enjoy about the history of the canal, the boats who sailed on them and the men who designed , built and sailed in them. Here are two ways to enjoy the Forth and Clyde Canal . Drive to the Stables Restaurant near Kirkintilloch on the A803 and access the canal from there. Another route from Glasgow is to take a low level train West from Glasgow to Westerton enjoying views of the Clyde en route and walk to Bowling where you can get a snack near the Post Office or at the Railway Inn before getting a train back to Glasgow from Bowling. Do you have a dream? Just do it.