HAVING come to the last stretch of the road of life, I have realised the number of times I have heard “Why did I not tell my loved ones how I felt”, that of course can work both ways, so now I will rectify that before I go into the unknown.

I have had a reasonable life, a few hiccups on the way, but most families do, and I have got over them.

My late sister Vera said one day when we were reminiscing: “You know son we had the better life when we were young, because it is all gone to pot now”.

My late wife Nora brought you up in the Christian way while I backed her up by working hard and long and eventually bought our own house after a struggle, and now seventy years or so later I am still here.

You three children have all prospered and have families and properties of your own, both here and out in Australia, my one hope is that you keep in touch with one another and stay united.

In short you have done your mother and I proud, and I thank you.

Back when you were children I kept a small cane only a about a foot long, which I kept over the sitting room door for unruly children, I never had to use it, and I have often wondered if I would have done.

A few years after coming back from Burma we were having dinner, Marilyn and you refused to eat up your cabbage, which you said you did not like, and me with memories of Indian children scavenging among our (RAF) waste bins for anything that could be eaten!

I think you won in the end, anyway, I know that I am forgiven because now the boot is on the other foot and you are the one looking after me as if I was a VIP, thanks a lot.

Thank you Graham and Pamela for running me here there and everywhere, I have seen more of our lovely Cotswold country side in the last few years than all my years before.

There is one black spot on your record Pamela that I’m having a job to forgive, can you remember when we were in Australia last time, we drove to Caramba and stopped for a meal at the Broad axe Bistro and you wanted me out of my wheelchair and to sit at a table with a fixed seat.

I must have taken too long on the operation because you suddenly picked my leg up and tried to ram it down between the seat and table?

My muscles were not up to the rough treatment and the pain was unbelievable, I thought you had broken it, now every time I get a pain there, I say to myself Damn Pam, and the pain gets better.

Thank you Don for all the times you have spent making gadgets and putting them up, all to make life for me more bearable and it wasn’t me that said: “all Insurance Agents are useless”.

And now last but not least, Ann, the next boss of our clan and Barry her husband and the only man who has driven a van backwards up Portlock Hill in order to utilise the last drop of petrol to get to the top.

I have spent 10 holidays out back since my wife died.

I consider Australia as my second home and take notice my children, I want my ashes to be distributed between Australia and Rodborough Common in front of “our” seat, where your mother’s ashes were laid, although the seat there now is different, the view is still there and I have memories of hours spent there when we were courting after a long walk.

We waited twenty minutes before your mother had to be in by nine o’clock and the hours we spent there discussing our future will never die until I do.

I’m sorry I got carried away, back to Australia. I have some wonderful recollections of my times in Oz and I don’t regret the long journey to get there and back, it was worth it.

Sadly the names of places are now mixed up in my head and dates and times one long stream of events, like sitting in the park in Sydney in the lunch hour when the workers of the city bring their lunches out on the grass, and I used to think what is their life like? Do they have troubles? Are they at the edge of something they don’t know what to do about? I would like to have had the nerve to go to them and find out!

Ann and Barry, I know I paid my way over there (according to you) but with hindsight I realist realise it must have cost you a lot and what with all the care and trouble and hospital treatment I had to have, you really looked after me, and when Vera broke her leg in the dungeon you really looked after her well.

I have had a long life, partly from luck, but I like to think I helped by the lifestyle I led.

I am responsible for bringing about twenty people in this world, in theory anyway, but I must say that I will be leaving you with more trouble than ever, the world is dying and all we do is fight one another.

Where is a person on this earth who can get us all to work together and make our lives happier, is it a pipe dream that can never come true?

Yours, still living with hope

Dad, Grandad, great Grandad

L W Blandford

Stroud