The Pleasures of Friendship

The Pleasures of Friendship
by Stevie Smith

The pleasures of friendship are exquisite,
How pleasant to go to a friend on a visit!

I go to my friend, we walk on the grass,
And the hours and moments like minutes pass.

I was thinking about the friends I have lost.  I guess all of us who are well past our sell-by date have lost family and friends - even me, an introverted Aspergery person.

I don't seem to have any photos of my lost friends, so I have headed this blog with a Ken Reah painting of Endcliffe Vale Park, a park from my childhood - a park  I have walked through with family, friends and dogs for most of my life.

I went there at lunch hours in the Sixth form with Barbara and Elizabeth.  And that was a long long time ago.  They are both still with us, as far as I know.  Elizabeth lives across the water on the Isle of Wight and we exchange letters/cards at Christmas.

Janie, a best friend from my childhood, the best friend of my young teenage years - she lived next door - died some years ago.  And Ann Marie, the best best friend of my expat years died before we retired.  I would have loved to share my books with her, as she shared her pottery with me.  And Diana with whom I shared a flat, well a room really, in my Uni years, died before we retired.  We are still in touch with her husband Pete.

How long can I go creaking on?

Anyway, on the topic of friendship,it looks like we will be having a small reunion of friends from Planet Expat, as a couple of them are over from the USA for this year's Company reunion.  We have asked if they would like to come for lunch.  I am looking forward to it.  And we also heard from our Thai friend in Bangkok.   That has got me thinking of old student times in Jesmond, and my first experiences of Thai food - which I love to this day - and also of our visits to Bangkok in our travelling years.

And right on time to be mentioned in this blog, an old facebook friend, Milton D, has just got in touch. I found his email in the Spam section - along with one from my bro.

And I have no idea why Google suddenly spammed them

If we all "inherit the earth", and live forever upon it, how will it feel having a thousand years of memories, ten thousand years - and all happy ones, no sadness, no bitter regrets?

And I must note that neither Milton D nor my brother believes this, but I hope they won't mind my hoping this for them.