Flowers and Farewells

Let's cheer ourselves with some flowers.

Another trip to Claydon Hall in Buckinghamshire, this time with Mac and Julia, for a mooch round the splendid gardens, the house and a cuppa.

The Wall in the Hole in the Wall Gang

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Mac and Carrie have gone-ooooop north to live in the Orkneys but the good news is they are keeping their boat at Cowroast so we'll still see them now and then and in between we can let their boat out to illegal immigrants

Generally speaking we are very happy for them in their new adventure whilst some have reservations especially about how Carrie will cope when access to her normal recreational drugs becomes difficult. Of course friend Sue , on nearby Graemsay has a thriving illicit still but we mustn't talk about that for fear of compromising her position as Great Ork, a role bestowing power over the lives of all residents who break wind on the Sabbath. Thank Heavens it doesn't extend to Orkney or Carrie would be a "fart widow" inside a fortnight.....or is that fort widow in a fartnight? Who knows or cares.

We had a v pleasant farewell dinner at Zazas in Berko  at which wine was taken........and not returned. All very jolly.
Good Luck to Mac and Carrie in their new home.
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To finish this short posting the funeral of old friend Geoff Johnson was held last Monday 23rd and as these things go it went well. I gave a tribute which went ok but for some reason I got in a lather about it beforehand. I don't speak publicly much these days and was worried that with the emotion of the occasion and me being such a soft sod I would crack up and run sobbing from the Crematorium. In the end, apart from a wobble with the closing verse, I got through partly due to a swig from the hip flask in the Crematorium toilets but mainly due to the kindness and support of Pam both on the day and during the previous week.

It was good to see the gang that Geoff had boated with the week before he died plus others from Cowroast, our Stanmore childhood and of course his relations especially brother Brian (who taught me to ride a bike) and sister-in-law, Sue. A tough day all round but a fond and sincere farewell. 
We gathered afterwards in the Water's Edge by Ruislip Lido and enjoyed a very fine lunch courtesy of Brian and Sue for which we were very grateful. 
I've always counted myself extremely lucky in that I have many friends whom I have known for over 50 years with whom I am still in touch and in some cases  see regularly. I'd known Geoff in excess of 60 years, meeting weekly and boating together all over the place. I must count my blessings and not be too sad. Lovely bloke.
The closing verse referred to  is below. I'm grateful to friend Jaq Biggs for putting me on to it. Very appropriate, although surprisingly by Enoch Powell

This River runs from Dark to Light
So I must say, "Adieu, kind friends"
And 'tho my boat sails from your sight;
It does not mean my journey ends
It only means the River bends.