Finally found Facebook useful.

[Big Tone]

Meeting an old friend later today with whom I served my apprenticeship. You'll have to be quite old to compete with me here.

Last saw him 32 years ago, when he came around to my home after I got married in 1981. I do hope he's fat and bald

 

[joe-90]

I do hope he's fat and bald

Whatever floats your boat mate.

 

[Dave54]

You have to be pretty old to have completed an apprenticeship these days!
Anyone I meet from back then always seems to be growing old(er) gracefully, and is of course extremely successful.
Mind you it's been a while since I saw anyone from back then.
Good luck with your meet up. Always nice to see old friends.

 

[Whitespirit66]

Can someone remind Joe what a friend is.

 

[Big Tone]

Thanks Dave.

He's worn better than me, but then I've kinda been in self destruct for some years..

I felt like a bit of a neer do well, but I half expected that because he always was a go-getter. We met and it's brought back a flood of memories and laughter, and we're going to meet up for a beer whenever we can.

He's in Devon, I'm in Brum. (Well, ya gotta be where the work is and someone's got to live here)

Anyway, we went the the local in his new gloss black Audi TT and left my 23 year old Micra on my driveway...

So thanks again to fb really. I've messaged a couple more friends from the past, although not quite the same gap of time.

What's nice too is someone put me forward for a suggested group. (Ain't used that before), and its got pictures of everyone we knew from a local biker hangout in the 70s & early 80s.

Once again, we've been recounting tails and putting names to faces. It's all very heart warming, and a little sad at where it, and they, all went...

 

[Dave54]

Sounds like a successful meet up. Nice when you meet someone and they're still the same as they were. I'm a Black Country boy originally. Still in occasional touch with one or two biker mates from back then.

 

[securespark]

(Well, ya gotta be where the work is and someone's got to live here)

There's nowt wrong with Brum really, apart from the strange coating on the chips...

a little sad at where it....went...

I'd like to know where my trim waistline went..

 

[Big Tone]

I'd like to know where my trim waistline went..

Law of diminishing returns I’m afraid securespark. Up until about five years ago I was still very fit and active, had been all my adult life; weight lifting/bodybuilding, aerobics, badminton and cycling.

It wasn’t until long after I stopped the aerobics, (which I did for some 15 years), I found that the girls there used to call me V-man without me knowing. My chest was 46 inches and my waist, no word of a lie, was 29 inches, stomach like a ploughed field.

I think most people would think it a bit namby pamby, but it was the hardest workout my friends said they had ever done. People form the army, fire service and police went to it in its heyday. (My resting pulse was 46 bpm).

I remember a passage from the Desiderata worth repeating I think. “Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth”. Wish I had more pictures or a video of what I used to bench press though. I sound like the “I used to be” man to my more recent friends. Oh well...

 

[joe-90]

Better change your name to 'fat tone'.