Old friends
Winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settle like dust
On the shoulders of the old friends
Can you imagine us years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange to be seventy
(Simon & Garfunkel)
Last week I met with my college friends at Wakefield Hepworth gallery. I have known them for over 50 years and knew me when I was in my late teens. We have kept in touch ever since. The only living person who has known me longer is my brother. Whenever we meet we rapidly revert back in time to when we first met. Our values and beliefs have stayed the same despite leading very different lives. Walking around the gallery is somewhat immaterial as we have non-stop conversations ranging through cars, gardens, holidays and politics.
The meet-up gave me an opportunity to give the Mazda CX30 a good run. It’s comfortable and easy to drive although the technology is somewhat baffling and there is an annoying little rattle from the passenger door. If the rattle doesn’t silence itself I shall be revisiting Nunns in Grimsby. I do find it confusing when moving from the Android Auto feature (displaying my phone apps) to the in-car media/satnav system and I haven’t managed to get the adaptive speed control working yet.
