my charming old friends

when my grandfather wants to say hullo and find out how a cousin or friend from the old days is doing, I write to them for him.

i enjoy writing letters, especially to old people. I love their stories from the past, the sepia remembrances and nostalgia... that gentle pace of life, the formal yet warm style of writing. its fun working out the explanations that will help the person step gently through time to connect my grandfather to me, or even to help them recall their old friend - striving for that delicate balance between chattiness and brevity!

I look forward to their replies, their letters so characterestic of their times . i had written to mr k when i was in school, and he was such a wonderful man, we soon became friends and would swap chatty emails. he would eagerly ask for news of my mother, of us, and when my grandfather shifted from such-and-such area, if he was still in touch with mutual friends…

in january i wrote to another friend of my grandfather's. thatha hadnt been in touch with this japanese gentleman for more than 10 years, and when he finally discovered an email address i was deputed to write to mr.t and wish him for the new year.

he replied with such a nice mail! after that as usual we wrote to each other some more, helping him and my grandfather bridge the gap of events that had flown past... and today it made my day to read his reply, which he ended with typical old-world courtesy and charm - "hoping for health and peaceful days for you all, I remain - Sincerely yours, T________".

".....Can you imagine us
Years from today,
Sharing a park bench quietly?...."

- Old friends, Simon and Garfunkel