'Here We Go Again!'

Hi everyone! I hope that this post finds you in good health and in during a good time in your life. 2016 has been a VERY emotional year for me as I have very sadly lost two friends of long-standing this year.

Noreen at home on her 90'th Birthday

My friend, Noreen Leach died on April the 9th aged 98. Noreen was kind of a 'substitute Gran' to me and I kind of 'adopted' her when my real Gran died in the 1980's. I spend the next 30 years or so visiting Noreen at her home in Old Church Rd, Hollington and used to make a big effort each year to decorate her house with Christmas decorations and lights as if it were my house. Noreen used to love it and because I have never had a home of my own so did I. We used to spend many a Christmas sitting in her front room with the lights twinkling away just talking and sipping a Sherry. It was all old fashioned and traditional and made both of us feel happy. Sadly, due to her age, Noreen had to go into a nursing home for the last five or so years of her life and so both of us missed out on the enjoyment all my efforts and each others company provided towards the end...

You can see a brief video of Noreen and I at Christmas' here. Lots of happy, innocent memories! I think Noreen used to like to think of me as her 'toy boy' sometimes but she was always just a special friend to me...
Losing her I have also lost any connection with the rest of her family. They were very tolerant and understanding including me in their plans for Noreen's sake but I guess they would not be human if they did not wonder about my motives as a young man hanging about with a much older lady and I kind of knew at her funeral that I was once again 'an outsider' and not a member of the family, you know? Still, I loved Noreen and had many happy times with her and all of them. I have never been interested in money (other than it can make things possible that cannot be without it) and would always choose having someone in my life to having their money or possessions...

To try and make it easier to write this difficult first post I'm listening to something suitably old
fashioned in the shape of Ray Anthony! Yes, I bought up a load of Christmas CD's earlier in the year and quite a few of them are old orchestral, waltz style CD's. I think I would have loved the romantic era of ballroom dancing! I know I certainly found a lot of the ladies at the 'War & Peace Revival' I went to a few years ago much more attractive in their frilly skirts and cute hats than I do todays 'bovver boot' tattoo's and trousers lot! Sexist? Well, maybe but I guess I just love the illusion of a pretty lady dressing to look feminine and sweet...

The second person to have died on me this year was also a friend of mine for over 30 years. Alan Gaywood was about as far removed from the 'flash harry' and 'egotistical twit' that I am as you could meet. Alan was a true 'rock' and I saw him once a week almost every week for 30 odd years. He died very suddenly from an epileptic attack on July 1st and I am still struggling to get over his loss. Having a quiet, loyal and tolerant person like Al in your life one minute and then not the next is a HUGE shock to the system and I have felt a bit 'haunted' by him and memories of him since he died. There seems to be another special memory around every corner, you know?

Alan Gaywood in January This Year

My Christmas video single for Youtube this year 'You Can't Take Christmas Away From Me' was inspired by and written for Alan and I have been recording it over the last couple of months with SUPER Producer Harvey Summers at Broadoak Studios in Little Common. Harvey has done a BRILLIANT job on the song and I am now in need of working on a video for the song to upload to Youtube later this year. Watch this space for more on that as we get closer to the big day!

Well, that's my news. Sorry, it's not more upbeat but I promise not to depress you all with too much misery in the run up to Christmas so don't worry!