All’s well.

A few days ago I wrote:-

I’m worried.

One of my oldest friends J – we were toddlers together - has always, for the last thirty years, remembered my birthday as I have hers and I had a chat with her in February on her birthday. After a day or two I realised I hadn’t heard from her and then had an anxiety dream about her. Yesterday I phoned and left a message asking her to phone when she could. When I got no answer today I phoned E the third member of our toddler trio and she only had Christmas contact with J so knew nothing. We all live far apart.

It was as if a great cloud was hanging over me. I phoned her number repeatedly and then I remembered her brother had been in touch with my SIL after my brother died; she gave me a dubious email address and still I heard nothing. On Friday I decided to take all the birthday cards down to make it easier for Sheila to dust. There was time to read them more carefully and I spotted one which I had read as my friend Joan from another era but was it perhaps Jean? I find it difficult to throw lovely cards away and managed to find an old one from Jean and her late husband so there was no doubt who it was from. Both MTL and I compared the handwriting and it had to be from Jean – not Joan. Joan has only been a friend for 40 years so she’s allowed to forget my birthday.

There was still the problem of my worrying dream and the fact I couldn’t get a response. Then in the middle of marvelling at Joan Collin’s gutsy interview with Piers Morgan (I wonder what Katie Price will look like at 76?) the phone rang and it was my dear old friend Jean -just back from a holiday abroad. We had a long reassuring chat and she understood my concern and was relieved her card had got through. Below is a snap taken some years back of Jean and her late husband when we met up in Yorkshire near our old cottage.

P.S. I’m having problems staying on line so on Wednesday am having a new modem equivalent fitted - all I know is it is white and Japanese – more later – and also more memory. Hopefully this will make life easier. Today so far I can’t publish this or call round and visit so please excuse me.