Old friends!

I went up to Luton today to see my (literally) oldest friend Joyce. We met at work in 1990 and although she’s 81 now, she still makes me laugh with all her funny stories and the way she calls me ‘That bloody colonial!’

One of the stories she often told me was how, in the 60s, the Crystal Palace football players would turn up at her parents’ house at all hours, as one of them was best friends with her brother and lived on the same road. When we first moved down to West Sussex, I couldn’t believe it when I discovered that our new neighbour was the footballer best friend! Eighteen years on, I’m still amazed at the coincidence, as we’re nowhere near where they used to live.

Joyce and her husband Roger have been the most amazing friends over the years, always there when I needed cheering up… or a ‘kick up the backside’! Roger sadly died a couple of years ago but the house is full of pictures of him and Joyce is doing OK.

I’ve always loved this photo of them on their wedding day. They got married on Battle of Britain Day in 1967, as Roger was in the RAF at the time but it was also a somewhat tongue-in-cheek reference to married life! The looks on their faces just seems to sum them both up perfectly!