I went to an old friend’s funeral a couple of weeks ago. Instead of being miserable, it was a joyous affair. Mike was a hugely sociable guy, who lit up his many mates’ lives while maintaining a frankly unfeasible lifestyle until the ripe old age of 78. I was able to catch up with many people I'd been separated from during the Covid crisis. We held a happy wake in a sun-soaked pub garden, overlooking the beautiful scenery of north-west Worcestershire.
The latter part of my youth was spent nine miles from here, at