Old Times and Old People

Finally contacted Miss Bettaware AKA Big John, who was deeply amused by the Frinton programme and rather touched by Charles declaring his feelings. We chatted until late at night about Frinton, Clacton, my life, Miss Bettaware's life, and his new and happy relationship. He tells me they will be going to visit his sister in Cornwall for a few days in April which will make a pleasant break, and that he has been meeting his partner's family who have all become good friends. I am so pleased for him, as he has had a difficult time with the illness and death of his previous partner, then having to move away and being generally uprooted for a while.

I have toyed with the idea of living away from London, perhaps in Eastbourne, or even Devon, but though I do not have large numbers of friends here, having tried living away in Barcelona for a couple of years, I feel I would somehow miss the place. Strange in a way as my life is pretty inactive and it should not make much difference where I live. I suppose it is old age and familiar surroundings, though I was so happy a year or so ago when I revisited North Devon after thirty years, and was excited to find it almost the same. I had really expected it to have changed a lot, and was amazed to see the same old buildings, and not much new stuff. There were fewer of the strong old Devon accents about though, and the old fishermen of my youth who used to hang around the harbour in their oilskins and wellies had disappeared.