Task 50: Track down old friend Neil Simpson for cocktails in Knightsbridge

You may be wondering who Neil Simpson is, what's prompted me to track him down and why I'd be suggesting cocktails in Knightsbridge? All very reasonable questions of course! So here's a bit of background for you....

Neil was one of my older brother David’s best friends when they were students at Oxford.  When I was 16 I had a massive crush on him, and although it was unrequited (after all, he was gay, although I was completely oblivious to such things at the time), he was very kind to me, even to the extent of taking me to an Oxford Uni Eights Week Ball (just imagine the kudos I gained in the Upper Five that year).  After leaving university (and in my case nursing studies), David, Neil and I shared a flat for a while in the posh environs of Knightsbridge, and during the long hot summer of 1976, with none of us yet in permanent jobs, we had plenty of spare time to visit Wimbledon, go to all night horror films, narrowly miss getting caught up in riots at the Notting Hill Carnival and throw an infamous toffs and tarts party (which resulted in us having to write grovelling letters of apology to various titled and thoroughly unimpressed neighbours the next day…..) Here are a couple of photos taken on my 21st birthday (Snoopy is sitting between Neil and me in the first one and my friend Jane is by my side in the second one).

Neil and I lost contact after Andrew and I moved down to Sussex and started producing babies. But I often wondered how he was. And then lo and behold, four years ago I was watching Breakfast News on TV when an item popped up about a controversial building project in Kensington and to my amazement, the person being interviewed (Chair of the local Residents’ Association I'll have you know) was none other than Neil. By then I hadn’t seen him for 35 years. I was beside myself with excitement and tried to track him down through various search engines - but after several attempts I had to admit defeat, and the years continued to pass by.

Until, that is, I was walking dogs with my friend Gillie one morning back in March, got into a conversation with her about what other tasks to add to my then embryonic Sixty at 60 list, and it suddenly occurred to me (yes, another of those light bulb moments – I really must calm down) that finding Neil would be an important and special challenge to include.

So two weeks ago, I duly rolled up my sleeves and started a new Google search – and this time, I actually managed to track down an address listed on a Directors’ Register that seemed to fit the bill for Neil. I penned a hard copy letter to him (just as I would have done 39 years ago), enclosed several photos, stuck down the envelope, took a deep breath and popped the letter into the postbox. Then I waited, heart pounding, just like a lovesick fifth former all over again. I realised that it might all come to nothing - perhaps he wouldn't remember me at all?  Or perhaps our friendship simply wouldn't have meant as much to him as to me? Or perhaps he'd moved? Or.......or.....

But guess what, two days later an email popped up in my inbox - and yes, it was from Neil. Do you know I actually jumped up and down on the spot - another of those fifth-form moments!  We arranged to speak on the phone the following day and when I heard his voice. the years just rolled back. 

I should explain that amidst the happiness of our conversation, I learnt that over the last 18 months Neil has been through a period of very serious ill-health and has had to endure surgery, radiotherapy and two courses of chemo, the second of which he completed just last week.  It's clearly been a torrid time for him but he was incredibly sanguine about it all (that's Neil!) and is rejoicing in the fact that life is beginning to return to some kind of normality again. Needless to say David and I have arranged to meet up with him for those cocktails (NB in Pall Mall rather than Knightsbridge - do hope you'll forgive that slight tweak to the task), so think of us on 7 August - I can't wait....

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Task 46: Learn how to play Year of the Cat riff on the saxophone

So why have I chosen to play the 'year of the cat' riff on the saxophone as my fiftieth task?  Well quite simply because Andrew and I regard year of the cat as our song. We saw Al Stewart singing it for the first time at a concert in 1977 and in a loving gesture I promptly went out and bought the album for Andrew. I even added a personal touch to the front of the album cover - in case you're wondering, it reads (oh dear, this is deeply embarrassing), 'Fur someone paw but purrfect from an intoxicated tabby' – I think the reference to a tabby must have been some kind of in joke between us at the time.

  

However my anxiety levels about this particular task have been creeping up for two reasons:

a)      David H who is an eminent music producer of many years’ standing and knows pretty much everything there is to know about creating music has informed me that the saxophone is a very difficult instrument to play…..in fact he thinks it’s probably the most difficult instrument I could possibly have chosen to play.

b)      Andy T has forwarded on an email from a friend of his who has recently seen Al Stewart in concert and says 'having seen the contortions the sax player went through playing that solo, I wish her luck and your money is safe’. 

With the words of these esteemed gentlemen ringing in my ears I duly attended for my first sax lesson on Wednesday.  My teacher, Sarah Skinner (based in Heathfield) turned out to be an inspirational saxophone guru who in addition to being very relieved that for once she has someone who isn’t asking to play Baker Street, seemed pretty confident that Task 46 is a doable one.  And so to the esteemed gentlemen above, I think the gauntlet is well and truly thrown down!

One of the main aims of my first lesson was to decide whether I wanted to play an alto or tenor sax. I soon discovered that I'd be bearing the full weight of the instrument around my ageing neck, and rapidly concluded that I’d be better off playing the alto sax, which is smaller and lighter than the tenor (although I can assure you it’s not that small or light!) Yesterday I took myself off to the mecca of saxophone stores in the entire world, Sax.co.uk (which as good fortune would have it, is located in Crowborough of all places) to hire myself an alto sax. Here it is on display in the shop (it’s the shiny gold one on the right).  It’s difficult to believe that one day I may actually be able to play that special song on it.

The work now begins and as with my running programme, I shall keep you posted on my progress from time to time.  And I shall wind up this post with Al’s immortal closing lines:

Bur the drumbeat strains of the night remain

In the rhythm of the new-born day

You know sometime you're bound to leave her

But for now you're going to stay

In the year of the cat…….year of the cat........

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Task 35: Read a hard copy of War and Peace

Task 35 on my Sixty at 60 list may not sound exactly cutting edge or inspirational, but nevertheless I do think it’ll require a reasonable amount of effort on my part to complete it. Someone who clearly understands this level of effort is Andy T, who recently wrote to me saying (and I quote) 'Only a sadist would insist on your reading a hard copy of War and Peace (my Penguin edition has 1,444 pages)'.  I’ve just checked my Penguin edition and am delighted to say that it only has 1,399 pages – oh but hang on a moment, that probably means the font in my edition is smaller, which is not a good thing......   

Here's another audacious attempt to get the sympathy vote for Task 35  – if you look at the photo below, the Kite Runner (one of my favourite books of the last decade) is on the left and looming beside it on the right is Tolstoy’s tome. Need I say more?

Some reviewers on Amazon have assured me that W&P is a fantastic read – ‘I finished wishing it was even longer!’ said one and ‘When I got to the end it felt as if a new friend had left’  said another. Could they be friends or relations of the author perhaps?  

I’m going to commence reading Tolstoy’s ‘sprawling epic’ in two days' time (have to finish reading ‘H is for Hawk’ first – can definitely recommend it) - and I may be some time.  

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