Whilst Ron went to Southport to visit his old Primary School teacher, I caught the train into Liverpool to meet four college friends I hadn't seen for many years. I hadn't seen Maureen (who had flown over from Canada), Marjery or Margaret since 1963 although, via Friends Reunited, we had recently kept in touch by email. Marjorie and I had been in constant contact since 1971 when she, Winston (her husband) and her mother joined our families in farewelling us when we left for Australia.
We all met outsde Marks and Sparks at 12.30pm before going to the French restaurant where Margaret had booked our table. The food was delicious, as was the wine and even the coffee was palatable! Although it had been so many years since we last saw each other, it was as if the years had never been - we talked and laughed, reminiscing about all sorts of things and talking about our respective families and their "doings".
We stayed in the restaurant until about 3.30pm (without being hassled to leave, which was nice!) and then said our goodbyes. Marjorie and I stayed together and wandered around the shops, more for an excuse to keep talking than anything else. We arranged that, after our Paris trip, Ron and I will go for dinner and an overnight stay with Marjorie and Winston, at their home in Maghull - Winston is Burmese and an excellent cook so we're looking forward to our first taste of Burmese food.
Whilst Sandra was in Liverpool, I drove to Southport to meet Tom Topping who had been my Primary School teacher back in 1955! Tom and his wife Marj were very welcoming - you would never have guessed that I had never met Marj previously, and it is 53 years since I had last seen Tom (Mr Topping in those days!!). They have both had health problems in recent years but fortunately seemed to be enjoying comparatively good health at the moment. Tom has a tremendous memory and remembered many things that I had long forgotten. We spent the afternoon recalling Park View Primary School as well as what we had each done during the intervening years. One thing that Sandra would have been jealous of was their dog "Holly". She is a West Highland Terrier, the sort of dog that Sandra (and me) would love to have. "Holly" was saved from the local Dogs Home so maybe there is hope for us yet!
