From Olly’s archives

This popped into my inbox today from Olly. He says it was taken at his brother’s 21st in Ealing, September 1985 - and who am I to argue. I would also have been 21. Which means I was just about to start 3rd year at Uni.

The taqiyah (Muslim hat) that I’m wearing was bought that summer while hitching through Yugoslavia (for so it was) to Turkey with Lucy. I don’t remember where the market was, but it could have been Skopje.

I recall buying a pack of dry roasted chickpeas at the same market. I cracked a back tooth on one of them, which finally fell apart back in Edinburgh while eating a peanut butter sandwich.

The jacket and tie, I have no recollection of at all. Not my typical clothes even then. Who would be crazy enough to wear a white jacket to a party?

I met Olly the summer before, hitching north at the Greek/Yugoslav border. He was riding with Bev and Shirl in a VW camper. On the Greek side of the border they said there was space if I shared fuel costs and I declined. Having waited some time in the sun on the Yugoslav side of the border, I accepted their offer, and I’ve been friends with Olly ever since.

The VW developed a fault as we drove through southern Yugoslavia. The nearest VW garage was in Skopje, so we went there. The part was not in stock, so we waited the weekend there for it to arrive. I fell in love with the city and was happy Lucy and I got a lift from Austria to Skopje the next year.

During fourth year at Uni, I grew my hair and beard until both were bushy and hard to control. One day, having walked from London Road to Kings Buildings, I realised I was getting strange looks. I’d left the flat with the taqiyah on my head and a biro in my beard.