Memories of Days Gone by . . .

I received very sad news this morning. Ed, a great friend of my family died last night. He had been ill for a couple of years, deteriorating greatly the past 3 months, till his quality of life was practically nil. I'm glad he hung on for Christmas, the last one with his family, although that would have been tough for them.

This picture was taken on a holiday up in Aberdeen in the 1960s, when him and Anne his wife here in the picture, had an adjoining caravan to our one. I think I was about 13 in this picture, I had just started to wear glasses all the time (start of my ugly period as I saw written in an old diary!). Mum said that Ed had asked me to dance but I wouldn't get up on the dance floor. I think he has said something funny before the picture was taken as Dad and I are both looking at him and smiling. In my later teenage years he used to tease me about boyfriends and I used to go red in the face and squirm with embarrasment - he liked that, he had such a wicked sense of humour! We had many family holidays together, and have so many wonderful memories of both our families spending time together. Although Anne, Ed and Aly, their daughter, moved down to Chandler's Ford in the 80s, we still kept in close touch, with my mum going down twice a year, and them coming up to Scotland 3 times a year, until Ed was struck down with his illness and couldn't drive anymore.

I'm so glad that we went down to Hampshire in September and spent time with them, as I knew when I said goodbye to Ed that Saturday morning before we left for Scotland, that it would be for the last time. . . . RIP Ed.