No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow. ~ Euripides

I'm not a great fan of new year celebrations, perhaps it is because I'm teetotal, or it could be because Robbie makes me endure New Years Eve with Jools Holland, but I think it is mostly because there is a certain sadness in leaving the past behind and looking forward to what the new year may hold. It is a time when we are reminded of those who will not be with us as we look ahead to 2013. Among them are actors and celebrities who brought us pleasure over the years, we may not know them personally but still we feel their loss and miss them. 

I was sorry to hear that Jack Klugman one of my favourite actors died on Christmas Eve and his death reminded me that when trying to explain to a friend that I am a bit out of touch when it comes to films and actors my son said "everyone that my mum likes is dead" and I have to admit that it is starting to feel like that. This year  we said farewell to Clive Dunn, Eric Sykes, Robin Gibb, Bob Holness, Whitney Houston, Davy Jones, Neil Armstrong, Larry Hagman and a number of others. It is sad to say goodbye, but I am grateful for the memories.

Thanks For The Memories

David Croft died a few days ago. This man whose face I would hardly recognise has brought me and countless others considerable pleasure over the years. With Jimmy Perry he created Dads Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-De-Hi. He also co wrote Are You Being Served?, 'Allo 'Allo, Grace and Favour, Oh, Dr Beeching and You Rang M'Lord? David Croft's work brought smiles and laughter to my childhood and the humour continued through my adult life. Oh Dr Beeching was among my favourites, with it's gentle humour and nostalgia for a time past, but my absolute favourite was Dad's Army.

I was only 7 when Dad's Army first came to our screens, I watched it with my Dad and he used to tell me that when he was in the Home Guard he was a bit like Frank Pike, obsessed with the cinema, not quite grown up and burdened with an over protective mother - but my grandma was much more straight laced than Mrs Pike. I remember my dad taking me to see the Dad's Army film as a special treat. It is special because I have so few memories of doing things with my dad. My favourite characters were Joe Walker and Arthur Wilson, I remember feeling so sad when James Beck the actor who played Walker died. Perhaps more than any other comedy Dad's Army has stood the test of time. It is still regularly shown on television and it is still enjoyed by viewers, in fact when I got home this afternoon I turned on the television and found that the Dad's Army film was on. I am sure I laughed as much today as when I first saw it all those years ago. If David Croft and Jimmy Perry had found the secret of successful writing it was perhaps that they wrote about what they knew, they had both been in the army during the second world war. They also understood character, they wrote about real people with strengths, weaknesses and funny little quirks. Their humour did not mock, it recognised the humour in a situation but it respected the strengths and humanity of the characters. 


David Croft has left a legacy of laughter that I am sure will live on for many years to come. Thank you for the memories.

A Day We Had Been Dreading

This turned out to be the day that we have been dreading for what seems like a very long time. Robbie's friend Chris died this morning. We knew that this would be the ultimate outcome, and no one wanted to prolong his suffering but when the time comes none of that makes it feel any better. This is a terrible loss for his family and for his friends.

Chris was a very good friend to Robbie, in fact he probably understood Robbie better than anyone else ever will. They shared an interest in music, they would often go into Birmingham at lunchtime and come back with vinyl records and cds. They had a similar or at least an overlapping taste in music and they liked to go to gigs. Their shared interests didn't end there, they both shared a passion for the railways. For Robbie, Chris was the sort of friend who comes along once in a lifetime, he will be deeply missed and he will never be forgotten.

Memories

I am a Radio 4 addict, I even listen to the radio in the bathroom. My favourite radio programme is the Archers, I have been listening to it for so long that I couldn't imagine life without it. I will not admit quite how long I have been listening to the Archers but when we were talking about it last week I realised that I have been listening to it since before Robbie was born! Over the last week or so the series has been dealing with the death of one of the main characters Phil Archer, we knew it was coming because Norman Painting the actor who played Phil died before Christmas, but it is still terribly sad. However the character and the actor who played him had lived long and fulfilling lives and you should not be sad about a life well lived even a fictional one. There are some deaths that are much harder to come to terms with. It is three years this month since Emily's friend Charles died in a car accident. It was such a shock, he was a very careful driver and it was one of those freak accidents that didn't involve excess speed or alcohol, it should not have happened. It happened on a bend on a country road, I think he may have swerved to avoid an animal but I guess we will never know, he came off the road, hit a tree and died of head injuries. He packed a lot of living into his almost 18 years, but it seems such a waste, he had so much potential. His friends friends will not forget him, they still miss him very much. I hope his death with remind other drivers to be extra careful on the road even on routes you take every day.

Father's Day

It was Father's Day on Sunday and in our house that is a day of very mixed emotions. My own dad died when I was still at school, and I still remember the pain of Father's Day without a father to buy a card for. I have a step father, he is not a substitute for my dad, but over the years he has become special in his own right and he has been a fantastic grandad to my children. The mixed feelings are much the same for my children, Robbie is a brilliant step dad and he has a good relationship with each of them but that does not replace their dad. Being a step parent is always a challenge, and in my case there was no vacancy to fill, they have a mum and a dad, so I needed to find a different sort of role with Robbie's children, more like a grown up friend than a parent. Of course from the other angle it is difficult to accept a step parent, how dare your parent inflict this person on you without giving you any choice in the matter and apparently without taking your feelings into account. My own stepfather didn't always get it right in the early days, but because of him I know that a good step-parent can make so much difference to family life.

Robbie misses his children when he is not with them especially on Fathers Day and birthday's, but we have some happy times when we are all together. Robbie's main present was the latest in the series of British Transport Films DVD's but it hadn't arrived on time so he is looking forward to getting that later in the week. He also had a couple of books, a big glossy book about railway blunders and a little book packed with railway facts. He loved both books, but by the end of the day I was getting a bit fed up with all those facts. That little book has a section on timetables and lots of information about Bradshaw's, he is bad enough as it is without a little book of facts to encourage him to bombard me with random railway information!

A sad day..... (written by Robbie) 29.02.08

As many of you know my uncle Brian has not been very well for a number of weeks now, and sadly this morning at approximately 07.00 he passed away. He was always a quiet person in some respects, but would always be a wealth of knowledge if you ever asked him something. It's unfortunate that since my Nan died a number of years ago the family doesn't really meet unless something major happens, but that's life I suppose but somethings I will never forget.....