My friend are having one last get together tonight. Many leave this weekend, including Charlie. This fact alone has put me in a morbid stupor all day – my great fear is that we’ll never see each other again.

I vowed this morning to make sure that does not happen. In Australia over Christmas we met two old university friends of my parents, who live just outside Sydney in a castle made by a crazy irish dude. Even though they left uni about 30 years ago, and they live half the world away, they’re still good friends. In this I take great stock. I dearly hope that, from time to time, I still see Steve, Emma, Nicky, switch, Charlie et al.

I’ll make sure they know where I can be found, and I better warn them that, wherever they end up living, they would be advised to keep a stock of straws in their cupboard!