A sad reunion

Nearly 30 years ago I left the Somerset village of Shipham. Leaving behind some good friends. In particular my best friend Mike who I'd known since I was 2 years old. We've managed to keep in touch through thick and thin and I've always been inspired by the things he's achieved in his life including studying then teaching Bass guitar in Los Angeles, marrying a Norwegian and now running a property development company in Bulgaria of all things.

Sadly Mike's Dad died while I was in Brasil and I learned of his funeral and was determined to be there. Still jet lagged I drove down to Somerset and met up at Mike's Dad's house opposite where I lived all those years ago. That's my old house in the middle above.


Mike has 2 sisters and a brother too. I got on well with his older brother and younger sister, but didn't really know his oldest sister very well. It was odd seeing them again for the first time in 30 years. It made me realise just how much time has passed and I stopped to think about how many other people I've not seen in all that time. I must make more of an effort to keep in touch with people.

Susie read out a beautiful piece of writing in which she recalled the wonderful summers we spent as kids. Mike's Dad had an original Mini Cooper and we used to pile into it (4 kids, dogs, sandwiches, buckets and spades) and head off to the sea side at regular intervals in the long summer holidays, stopping for fish and chips on the way back. I don't remember being cramped in, but we must have been. No seat belts or regulations concerning all that back then.

In the house were old black and white photos of us all on the beach. I was tall and skinny. Amazing to see! The house was unchanged from how I remember it all those years ago.

It was a lovely day and we sent Bill off to the sounds of Jazz playing over the Mendip hills.