Another brilliant weekend.....

Who would have thought it possible? Two weekends in a row... just as I thought it had all gone horribly wrong..having had such a good time in Yorkshire with my good friends....of course I had had a few weeks looking forward to it, planning it, organising it..doing it..then..yes, then came the inevitable downer, suddenly, nothing to do, no e-mails to write, no quiz to work on, by Friday I was a sad, sad, person, and spent my bereavement counselling hour just sobbing........

So the prospect of a weekend in Liverpool was not good, I was not in the mood, but I had promised Hilary to take her to her uncle's, and James was going to stay with me at my cousin's. Too late to back out.

James drove there while I slept mostly..dropped Hil off at her Uncle's house opposite Liverpool John Lennon airport at Speke, and headed off to my cousin's through vaguely familiar childhood territory.

I really don't know my cousin Johnny, or his wife Jean, that well. I met him once during my growing up years. We have met several times in the last five or so years...he is the son of my father's eldest brother, Max, who died in the war when Johnny was 6 months old. His mum was my mad Aunty Terry. When have I met Johnny recently? At Uncle Bill's funeral (my dad's younger brother) then my Auntie Sue's funeral (dad's younger sister) Aunty Terry's funeral, then cousin Tobie's wedding (hurrah, a happy occcasion!) then my mum's funeral, then my dad's funeral. I know, Five funerals and a wedding!

I have also seen them a couple of times in Bristol when they kindly called in to see my parents. They have asked me to go and stay so many times. So I did. And I had the most lovely weekend. Very relaxing, really looked after, fed well, chauffeur driven round Liverpool to old haunts, my old home, schools etc etc, and then spent Saturday evening, after a good meal, curled up in front of a log fire watching dvd's..first the film of Phantom of the Opera which I've never seen....I nearly had a heart attack when the msic started! Johnny has surround sound, five speakers and a woofer! As they live in a huge detached house he has the volume up to ear bursting levels..and it;s f****ing brilliant. After Phantom we watched Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames, recorded live in Hyde Park, not everyone's taste but the dancing is superb, and the music, again, amazing, I'll never go back to an ordinary stereo!

And the best bit..while he was looking through the dvds, I spy Fairport Convention..oh I say, I lvoe them. Oh says Johnny, do you like folk? Do I? Do you? Oh, yes, he says, my favourite band is Show of Hands. What?????

Next thing it is 2am and James and Jean have gone to bed and Johnny and I are watching Fairport in concert..I have never heard them sound so good! Then various folk CDs go on..in the car next day it is Ralph Mctell, and after lunch Show of Hands in concert at the Albert Hall. I think I maybe a little deaf today. All these years, and it turns out we have been missing each other at folk festivals!!!!! Will I go again? You bet I will!!!!