As part of his degree, Stevan has recently been talking to those in the community who have lived here for a very long time.   He's been looking at how people coped with acquiring every day necessities.  This is before the time of internet shopping, large supermarkets, and before the time when everyone had at least one car per household, allowing them the ability to leave Assynt to do their shopping.

One of the tales which came out of his chatting to folk was about a gentleman who used to come to Assynt on a regular basis.  He would come across to the west coast from Tain, a town on the east coast, on the bus.  With him he always had 2 suitcases full of essential clothing - dresses, night clothes, underwear.  And he would visit all the outlying communities around Assynt, sometimes leaving items for residents to try on, promising to return for payment the next time he was in the area, as long as they were happy with the fit.   One of the folk Stevan was chatting to said "He now has a shop in Tain".  Well that was all we needed to entice us over to the east coast today.  And sure enough we found him in his shop in Gladstone Building, King Street, Tain - Mr M Shafi.   While Stevan chatted to Mr Shafi about his days travelling across to the west coast, I had the opportunity to find myself a new fleece top and some non-hand knitted socks for Stevan.  (He loves my socks, but sadly time has not permitted me the luxury of making him any recently, and frankly his current range of socks are an embarrassment!)

It was wonderful to meet this gentleman who is living history, and who is remembered with such fondness by those who lived in what was once a very remote part of the world.