Every Boxing Day for the last ten years or so I have shivered on a beach somewhere near Bridlington while my partner David and our good friend Kevin splash into the sea for charity. This year they were wearing fancy dress Viking helmets, perhaps reflecting the history of this wild and cliff-edged coast. Many, many dog-walkers were out. Folk were taking the air and enjoying the chilly midwinter sun.
At one pint a happy beagle galloped wagging up to us to say hello pursued by its anxious owner, who grinned at us and indicating Kevin and David in the sea, said warmly, ’They must be bloody mad!’
Suddenly everyone was smiling, a community of good humour, more than ever necessary in these troubling times.
May I extend my best wishes and love for 2021. I’m looking forward to a time when I can hug you all again.
