If you’ve ever known me, now’s the time to call….

I wrote about catching up with my old mate S the other day. Well I don’t know if there’s something in the water or LinkedIn’s suddenly started working properly or people have heard about my medical stuff but I’ve had a wave of contacts from some really old friends/colleagues recently from the days when Cellnet had a logo that looked like the one above. I mean friends from way back when, rather than they’re wrinkly and aged (a property I’ve got the patent on).

A week or so ago I had a message from lovely KC, a friend from the very early days in Cellnet, who is having a party this week-end to celebrate the 27 years since we were all last together. That’s over quarter of a bloody century ago! Oh lawd I am rapidly approaching the bucket kicking stages. Sadly we cannot make it as we are watching our eldest grandson play at MK stadium in his first major cup final but we intend to catch up with KC and husband P when they are next in town.

Then out of the blue and after more than 20 years since we last were in touch the ‘wolfman’ AV, who used to do a lot of graphic design work for us at Cellnet, came through via LIn to suggest a catch up. There’s an interesting story behind his nickname which I ought not to repeat in case his gran’s a follower of this blog but let’s just say it involved the sound of pleasure and a trip to Amsterdam. I can tell you that it was always a hoot having social time with AV and I can’t wait to see him next week for a glass of cool wine or two.

Then there was AB of course who called me early one morning last week after more than 25 years silence and about whom I wrote a posting after I was a little annoyed at being asked to write something nice. I’ve reflected on what I said and I may have been a bit harsh on A, after all he was decent guy who did a damn good job running our hospitality unit.

Then last week too I hooked up with H who was my terrific secretary back in the day when I had a job which justified having a PS. We’d been meaning to do it for a few weeks especially after learning that H only works up the road in Twickenham. Talk about a small world. She hadn’t changed a bit and was just as much fun as she always was. She’s re-married and has a very pretty young daughter and has carved a great career for herself in HR. I’m pretty certain she must have learned how not to be a good boss from the master and just did the opposite to become a great HR Director. I hope it won’t be 20 odd years before we catch up again. I’m sure it won’t.

Then last night we had a visit from Aussie accountant TV, another colleague from Cellnet’s early days, who’d found out about my cancer a few weeks ago and was determined to check out how I was. Now living down in the south west he was on a business trip to Bracknell and  came up to see us. Brilliant. He hadn’t changed much either – I think I may be the only person in my circle of contacts who’s actually aged disgracefully over the years. He’s been married in the intervening years and has two daughters who have qualified or going through medical studies. Blimey. We had a beer at the pub whilst collecting a Thai dinner and had a good old laugh reminiscing about some of those less than glorious moments in the early days of mobile. The first of which was his dress sense when as a young fellah over from Oz he turned up for an interview with our Finance Director AR dressed in a BBQ shirt and pumps. He got the job but at AR’s suggestion we had to buy him some clothes a little bit more suited to his work as the marketing department’s financial controller.  He mentioned too the fact that I’d sorted a pool car for him after a few months in the job which he proceeded to wreck on his first outing.  Ah happy days.

On Friday I’m hoping to see KG (nee KS) who again was in that early Cellnet marketing team, as we have an appointment with Pete her husband who’s been our dentist all these years. K helps out in the surgery from time to time and I’m sure she’ll be interested to know who’s been in touch these last few days. Maybe it’s time to follow KC’s lead and organise a party or something to celebrate all these connections. Or maybe I’ll just go with the flow and enjoy catching up 121 and having some laughs with a glass of something cool in my hand.

pp

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