A lovely couple in our local who we do not yet know well, have taken a very kind and sincere interest in my well being. They remarked yesterday evening how good it was to see me in such high spirits. Well how could I not be? There is fun and humour to be had in every situation.
Thank goodness for humour! I’ve never been one to take life too seriously when all’s said and done, and am lucky to have people around me who possess a good, and in some cases a great sense of humour!
Yesterday was a great case in point. I’d walked into the Grapes in the early evening wearing two hats, a beanie hat topped with an outdoor hat to keep out the cold. Our gay friend, Tony, happened to be there and was pleased to see us. He’s a nurse and theatre manager and takes both a personal and professional interest in my health. He asked how I was doing and I told him about Martin having shaved my head just that morning.
Not feeling self-conscious about it, I removed my hat briefly and showed Tony the bare me. “Ooh,” he said, “That doesn’t look too bad at all. In fact, I could quite fancy you now!” How we laughed! That was certainly one unintended consequence I had not bargained for!!
Later, we went to my cousin Adrienne’s 50th birthday party. Due to the fact that our garage door refused point blank to open — come back old- fashioned lock and key all’s forgiven — and the car being trapped inside, for the first time in the five and a half years that Martin has been a taxi driver, I drove the cab!! It’s a good job Adrienne’s do wasn’t south of the river mate, I can tell you!
As my sister Lou”s partner was working last night, Lou found herself sitting in the cab next to Martin. This may not sound too odd, unless you know them. They have a love/hate relationship that usually produces hilarious repartee. But when I had to manoeuvre the taxi through a width restriction and Lou, realising it was my first time in the cab warned me that she found this one particularly narrow, Martin nonetheless pushed his luck to the limit when he asked her whether she was walking at the time! He’ll pay for that!!
He pushed it even further at the party though. I’ve never heard a whole room of people collectively gasp In horror till last night. Lou and Martin, again in the oddest of moments, ended up sitting on a settee side by side. To complete the moment, Martin put his arm round Lou. So unusual was this scene that I was compelled to take a photograph. When cousin Adrienne realised why I was taking the pic, she commented that she got why I had to capture the moment. “Well”, said Martin by way of explanation, “Lou’s still got hair!” I thought it was hilarious but even Lou, famed for her close to the mark humour, gasped in shock.
You have to laugh. What is the point of doing anything else? Making fun of ourselves is in the British psyche, it’s our Blitz spirit. It’s Dunkerque. It’s fighting cancer. And I will keep on laughing, and smiling and laughing some more!!!
