Do I have any friends?

I have one significant person in my life - this person make my life worth living. Other than that I appear to have few friends - it seems.

I suppose it depends on the definition of a friend. I can absolutely confirm that I know several people who have been extremely helpful over the last few years by taking me to hospital (and home again). I also have a musical friend who I can call on: she and her husband would do all they can to help me.

I was touched by the 2 visitors from work who came to see me in hospital, last May, and grateful to the chap who travelled 45 miles to see me. I phone him occasionally and we know we go back a long way and how we are linked.

I have some friends on Facebook although I am not on there to create a long list - I have about 15.

What I mean is that I seldom seem to get any emails, texts phone calls or letters from anyone. Even my eldest daughter only gets in touch once in a blue moon: she is very busy, I get that.

Have I phoned, emailed, texted or written to anybody myself? Well, no. So is this apparent lack of friends just a symptom of the way we live our lives these days? Maybe it is.

My main hobby is bellringing but I only hear from people if they want something. "Can you ring for a wedding?" After 46 years of bellringing you'd think I would have a few friends in the field. I don't seem to. If one rings a lot of peals (not that I want to) one gets requests to join in. At local Branch level there are monthly meetings but nobody ever talk to me for more than a minute.

I think I project a "stay away" message to which I have alluded before. Even this blog has few readers; I never get any comments.


I cannot imagine my funeral will be very well attended.

Poor Church Music

I occasionally ring the bells after weddings at my local church. The ringing chamber is right behind the organ pipes which are at the West end of the church.

It has often been the case that the hymns have been played quite dreadfully although today they were tolerable. However, the exit music - Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" was truly awful and I simply do not know how a person can turn up and play it so badly.

I appreciate that the organist may have been old and trying his or her best but the departing congregation would have been shocked.