Giles Darvill, who Jackie and I first knew more than fifty years ago, is my oldest still living friend. Having once worked in Kingston Social Services together we have now been near neighbours in two villages on the verge of Hampshire’s New Forest for more than a decade.
This morning I visited him at his home in Milford on Sea where we enjoyed congenial reminiscences.
In particular we derived much enjoyment from recounting memories of the time featured in the above earlier post. Incidentally I was later to work in Westminster Social Services with my late friend Maggie Kindred (then Cook) who lived in one of the Dolphin Square flats pictured in that episode of the story of my era.
One of our pastimes during this period was playing chess on a glass table marked out as a board. This was my camera’s view of my opponent on the opposite side.
Ten years later we were to visit Covent Garden Market with Giles and his son Ben; Becky and Matthew, Sam and Louisa
I have a number of stained glass artefacts made for me over the years by my friend, including the chessboard which was a 50th Birthday Present.
In May 1983 Jessica, Sam, Louisa, Matthew, Becky and I visited Giles and his family at their home in the village of Penn Street near Amersham. The children experienced great glee in a cherry blossom
snow storm manufactured by Matthew who had stealthily sneaked up into the tree and given it a good shaking. Giles still has a framed copy of one of these images.
It was a little less than two years ago that we took
our last walk together, as detailed in this post.
This evening we dined on well cooked baked Gammon; creamy cauliflower and broccoli cheese; crunchy carrots; and soft spinach, with which I drank more of the Appassimento.