The Spoons That Are My Ears!

Having finished writing Twisthorn Bellow I didn't see the need to feature more monsters on this blog. However, sometimes monsters are created accidentally. Here is a good example of that. Recently an old schoolfriend by the name of Gerraint Oakley got in touch with me. I hadn't seen or heard from him for about 18 years -- entirely my fault, as I didn't keep in touch with any of the Porthcawl crowd from my youth -- and he kindly offered to email me some photos of those long lost times. I don't have any photos of that era in my life, so it was intriguing to view the first one he sent me, the one that appears here. I eagerly await the others!

I have absolutely no idea where this photo was taken, nor what the occasion was. Gerraint is the chap in the red dicky bow, a much malinged item of neckwear that originated among Croatian mercenaries of the 17th Century. As for myself, I am merely a disembodied head in the back row. The chap with the black hair in front of me is Alan Griffiths, and standing next to him with a red striped shirt is Gareth Hill. Gerraint, Alan and Gareth were the closest friends of my younger self. I'm delighted to be back in touch with Gerraint and I plan to meet up with him soon in Porthcawl, a place I haven't even visited since 1997!