Number 39 - friends reunited ********Double tick!

OK, so in typical Judi fashion I have half done several and completed one.....twice. But without doubt number 39 is so much fun.

Flushed with success from Penny-lope night I decided to track down one Pete Bandtock.

Pete and I met in (whispers) 1989 at PGL Tan Troed. We met on my very first night there and it was instant best buddy-dom. In fact it was Pete who walked me back to my tent that first night, as this city girl was terrified of the darkest lane in christendom , and was also EXTREMELY drunk! AND yes he was a perfect gentleman oh you of little faith!
It was a summer of glorious sunshine, much beer and silliness; before the minimum wage and any major safety expectations! Pete and I had loads of fun and occasional philosophical discussions, he was my friend, I had found my 'flip side' and I was forced to face the terrible truth that one of my parents MUST have had an affair as we had clearly been cruelly separated at birth

We met up a few times after PGL but real life got in the way and we lost touch. HA! til I turned super sleuth



by which of course I mean I searched for him on Facebook :-)

We made contact in a gush of 'How marvelous to hear fro you' type sentiments and shared photos of our adorable children (Pete lives in Switzerland now) and then Pete said he had to be in London for a meeting. (DRAMATIC CHORD)

(We pause the story here to allow for the time I spent throwing myself face down on the bed and weeping (in glamorous non snotty type way) for the fact that I don't look 19 anymore, and gibbering in fear that we would shatter the memory of our perfect friendship by being ancient and/or boring..)

So, we planned to meet at 11.30. Of course I got there at 11am You want to be the seekee not the seeker, especially when you haven't seen a person for 15 ish years! But, Pete had the same plan (told you we were alike) and as I stood in line diet coke in hand our eyes met across the costa coffee and the rest, as they say, past in a slightly drunken, happy, smiley blur. Phone calls had to be made to arrange for someone sober to pick up the children from school (me) and to make an excuse for not going to a meeting (pete) and we talked, and talked and laughed and reminisced and had a bloody good time. He was still Pete, just the same, well, apart from the limp!

I am such a cheap date having been pregnant/breastfeeding for most of the last 6 years that it could VERY easily have turned into a number 13(!) but Pete had a plane to catch and I had 3 small bodies to bathe and read to!

2 friendships thoroughly renewed! Pen and Pete, life is better for having you in it! x