"Reflecting on our time together"

Yesterday, the Minx set off for the Shiiine On festival, where she'll be until Monday. To be honest, there's not much I wouldn't do for that woman, but four days at Butlins watching acts from the nostalgia circuit is really not my thing. (Fortunately, my loyalty has not been put to the test as she has never asked me to go, rightly assuming that I wouldn't enjoy myself.)

But I'm staying down in Salford for a couple of days, regardless, not least because Dom was in the office today, and I wanted to see him. And having worked together all day, we went to the Lower Turks Head for a couple of drinks before heading over to Ramona, where my guitar teacher, Paolo, was playing this evening. (His band was brilliant, and the food was pretty good, but, man, the service was lousy.)

I speak to Dom most days, but even so it was great to have some time in each other's actual company rather than over Teams. I do understand the notion that such and such a percentage of communication is non-verbal and that aspect is not necessarily as easy to pick up off a screen, but it isn't just about communication. There's something more profound than that, a simple joy from just being in a friend's company.