My Friend Beat a Prince Every Day of the Week

Hi Everyone

This week, I lost a friend. He was the Main Contractor's cousin, and we first met in 1956, now seventy years ago. Four years later, he was my best man at our wedding. Just over a year later, he married his girlfriend, and they set up home in a caravan on the smallholding where his parents lived. We visited them on many occasions, but on one occasion, we arrived as they were having their evening meal. Being a caravan, there was, of course, limited space, and as we talked, we watched a full slice of buttered bread slowly sliding down the wall at the side of his head. Fortunately, his new wife missed her aim, and we all ignored it as it slowly disappeared from view. I am sure that we can all remember similar experiences as we learn to live with one another. Over the years, we met almost every Saturday, when we would take our books of pub walks in all weather conditions to walk five to eight miles in beautiful countryside before enjoying a pub lunch. We have always been independent travellers as far as holidays were concerned, but over fifty years ago, we took our first holiday together. We were always comfortable in each other's company, and we have had many great holidays together in the UK, France, Spain, Madeira, our favourite destination, Italy,  and New England, where we spent a memorable day in New York on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. In later years, he worked for four years with me in my business. We came from an era where we worked far too many hours to provide for our families. On the last day we were able to go out together, the girls went shopping while we spent time together in a coffee shop. That was followed by months of home care, periods in hospital, a hospice and finally a nursing care home. It has been difficult for us all to watch his loss of dignity and quality of life. Now his ordeal is over, but all those lovely memories live on. 

One evening this week the half hour national TV news had nothing but Andrew Mountbatten Windsor for twenty five minutes. Whatever the outcome of his actions, did he ever once consider the possible result of his lifestyle and actions on his parents, siblings, wife, and children and the monarchy of this country? If you are not a monarchist, you will probably think that it was a great day, but for the majority is was not. Andrew has been bad news for the Royal family for years, and it is amazing to think that he was his mother’s favourite son. The bad news is that this saga will go on for days, weeks and even more likely, years.

This last couple of weeks, the Winter Olympics have taken place in Italy. Athletes from many countries, who have spent years of dedication in their sport just to reach the events, have fiercely competed in absolute respect for each other. I thought perhaps we could have a world leaders' Olympics in friendly competition until I realised that it is in their DNA to cheat, which is probably why most of them are politicians rather than athletes

Just a Thought: 

We’ve been friends for so long, I can’t remember which one of us was the bad influence.

A friend is someone who knows all about you but still puts up with you.

A street near Buckingham Palace is being renmamed  “Prince Andrew’s Close”. It’s not honorary, it’s a warning.

Brian Everyone