Enough already!

Right – that’s enough about toilets and car parks – George Michael will be my guest blogger before we know it.

Here’s a lovely picture of my friends kitchen in France.

I went to visit him a couple of weeks ago. He is a 52 year old Belgian-Greek-Jewish-Gay ex-Restuaranteur. I’ve known him since he gave me a job as a washer-upper in his restaurant – I was too young to serve booze much to my chagrin! I then worked as a waitress for him for the next 10-12 years on and off. He is a fantastic person and brilliant cook. He was previously living in London with his partner for nearly 30 years who unfortunately and very suddenly died nearly six years ago. In hindsight we now know he died of MRSA but little was really known about it then and so he wasn’t treated effectively in time. Heartbroken, he sold everything and de-camped to his little ‘2-up 2-down’ as he calls it. Of course he is joking – it’s a massive 22 room, rambling chateu in the Dordogne. He is an amazing character and speaks English with the most ridiculous accent – after living more of his life in England than anywhere else he still gets the inflection all around the wrong way. But that’s what makes him him and he is a wonderful, funny, childishly naughty and outspoken person with a huge heart. I know he’s really bereft at the moment as the anniversary to his partner dying is looming. He misses him terribly and is living the dream they had together which I know is very hard for him sometimes. It’s beautiful there and so is he. Here he is:

We hadn’t seen each other for around three years but that didn’t matter. True friendship means that you can pick up where you left off no matter how long a gap. He has always been there for me as a friend and kind of surrogate parent really. It was like going home and I love him very much.