It was twenty years ago today

I lie, I am not sure about the exact dates, but I do know that it was 20 years ago.   1992 was a big year for me.   It started out very well, after work (in the Pub) I went to a news party with another member of staff, this was pretty much the first time we had spent any time together other than working.   It had been quite a long and bust night behind the bar and we were both quite tired.   Sitting on the sofa together she ended up falling asleep across my lap.   I didn't dare move fore a couple of hours out fear of disturbing her.   That girl had spectacular legs, and that night she was wearing a dress that showed them off to perfection.   She still has the dress but has since acquired a husband and a daughter, unfortunately for me the dress doesn't fit her anymore.   One thing is that I will never be able to forget the date that we got together 1st January 1992.
After that things took a rapid descent within a couple of days I had a phone call from my Mother asking me to go down to Basingstoke (where they were living at the time) so I could take my father to hospital as he seemed quite ill.    He was ill, he was diagnosed with leukemia and started quite a rapid descent and died within a few months.   At almost the same time wife's (well she was still my girlfriend then) best friend was diagnosed with a terminal cancer.

CURRO the mascot of expo 92

I think it was March when I proposed (this is quite a story in itself but maybe for another day) and then in April that I got a job.   As I had been self employed (bumming around) for quite a while this was my first full time job for several years and came out of the blue.   One of my Band Leaders phoned up and asked if I had an up to date passport and would I be free next week?   Within a week a was on my way to Seville for Expo '92 with my Tuba while leaving my wife brother and friend to sort out my flat an put all my "Stuff" in boxes and store it somewhere until I came home.

Playing everyday at Expo was an amazing experience one that I know I will never be able to repeat. I was young(ish) no responsibilities yet and still eager for new experiences.   Having said that I missed my family and my (by then) fiancee, I think I wrote every day, but I may be wrong on that.   This was certainly the most spectacular time of my life, I am putting together a page of photos from Expo 92 so you can get some sort of idea what I mean.   While there I also heard // saw some of the worlds top bands, orchestras and singers, all for free.   Since I was working on site I had free entrance to everything within the Expo and tried to find something new each day.   The only fixed points apart from work were the parade and the fireworks, both spectacular and surreal.

While I was in Spain both my father and my wife's best friend died ~ our daughter is named after both of them.

I came home in August and realised just how cold an English summer is compared to a Spanish one, it took several weeks to reaclimatise. by the end of September we were married.