Storytelling Sunday

I haven't joined in with Sian's Storytelling Sunday before, but a few weeks back she posted a story about her best friend from school who is still her best friend now. That made me think of my best friend, Ann and I thought that I would like to share that friendship with this little story.

This photo is pinched
off Ann's Facebook
Page - she has
not aged at all!

We met on the first day at Hemel Hempstead Secondary School - neither of us knew anyone else in our form and as were sat girl/boy and alphabetically she sat behind me (I was Armstrong, she was Bradley), so we got talking - well, we were not going to talk to boys!

Stories? I could tell a few about the two of us! Getting called into the Senior Mistress's office (Miss Hughes, really old school) and being really told off as we had been seen eating apples whilst walking home from school in school uniform! Ann, coming round to my house during the teaching strikes and having lunch (faggots in gravy) before walking into school, in the snow, to collect work to do at home. Then, her being extremely sick in the hedge outside the school once we had our work! We didn't get called in and told off for doing that! In fact, we had trouble getting hold of any teaching staff to get them to call Ann's mum to get her to come and collect her!

Occasionally on a Sunday, when I was about 14, my Mum and Dad would go out for a Sunday drink and Ann would come round to have lunch with Pippa and me. On one occasion Mum left a box of Bird's Trifle mix out for us to make. It all went really well, until it came to the decorations. There was a small packet of chocolate strands and so I said to Ann to grab the jar off the shelf and put a whole handful more on. However, I didn't watch what she was doing as I was washing up. We dished up the trifle, both took a mouthful and instantly spat it out! She had sprinkled loose tea all over the top of the trifle!

There are so many stories I could tell, but I will finish with Ann on the morning of my wedding. I would have loved her to be my bridesmaid, but things didn't work out that way. However, she was still there on the morning to support me whilst I got ready. She arrived all dressed up and looked lovely. Things were going swimmingly until my Mum offered her a drink. She accepted and Mum passed her a glass of cola, which she promptly managed to throw all down the front of her pale blue dress! We then had to rapidly sponge her down and try to get rid of the stain before we left the house! It took my mind off my nerves anyway.

This is Ann, in the blue dress (minus cola stain!) with one of Hugh's good friends - we tried to pair them off but it didn't work!!

Ann really is my best friend. We have known each other for over 30 years and although we don't get together anywhere near as often as I would like, whenever we do get together it is like we only saw each other yesterday.