Diamonds are Forever

I drove to Hull today and spent some quality time with my Auntie Margaret and Uncle Brian. I can't believe they celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary earlier this year, but celebrate it they did, even receiving a signed card from our reigning Monarch. Around the time this photo was taken I remember Brian, an electrician by trade, building me a bespoke external speaker for my tinny portable cassette player - giving it much needed Oomph! Their friends recently found the 70s snap, blew it up, framed it and gave it to them as a gift on their big day.  It's such a spontaneous photograph, I love it. 

David Ari Leon - Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Premature Octogenerian

After a family feud, not of my own making I must add, we've recently reestablished contact with my father's lovely younger sister, Margaret, and her husband; Brian has a significant birthday coming up, so we took over a card & and present and had a pub lunch with them both. Reaching eighty is no mean achievement and I told him as much. 'I guess it is' he said, 'I'll tell you next year if and when I get there. I'll only be seventy nine.' D'oh!

Many years ago, Brian was in The Parachute Regiment. If you look hard enough you'll see him (and loads more Paras) in 1953's Red Beret starring Alan Ladd. One of the many stories Brian tells is of his first package holiday to Spain in the early 70s - when the trolley dolly was serving him a beer he told her: 'This is the first plane I've ever been on that I've not had to jump out of.'

Happy Birthday Uncle Brian. And, anyway, every birthday is significant.