The End Of An Era

The sun is starting to set on an era here in Coudray Rd. The sold sign went up on our next door neighbour's property last week and yesterday the removal van turned up and, house empty, suddenly our lovely neighbour Vincent is no longer around to share a few friendly words and help us out when we are away. 

  
Although Vincent moved in next to us over twenty years ago, we didn't get to know him very well until his wife tragically died some three years ago; we were working and Vincent and Pauline were enjoying a busy retirement. Since he became a widower we have seen him frequently and he never ceases to amuse us with his excellent anecdotes and some great jokes as well as being a very interesting and intelligent conversationalist. He's taking us out to The Warehouse for a final meal together on Tuesday and after that our paths are unlikely to cross very often. We will miss him.

And as the sun set on Vincent, I took the opportunity to snap our own house in anticipation of putting it on the market soon. The poor new neighbours will wonder what they've done to offend when they see a board go up within weeks of their arrival. I hope they aren't from any minority that might think that we may be selling because of them. Vincent can't remember who has bought his house as it was months since he had all the viewings and he can't recall the family although he thinks that they've got children. Children will be nice as the road could do with some new blood with most of the kids who grew up here over the last twenty years having flown the nest. We'll see when the removal van rolls up.

I was flicking through the local free sheet yesterday and came across an article about local actor and dancer Daniel Crossely pictured above right in his staring role in Singin' In The Rain in London's West End. Daniel's dad Tony was a friend of mine when I was a spotty youth just starting out on a career in Barclays and he was head of the securities department. Marion and I sometimes babysat for Tony's two sons when they were tiny and we were delighted to see Daniel's success as it's not far off forty years since we last saw them. It's so sad that Tony didn't live long enough to see him in The West End. I know how proud he would have been.