“Never look back” is a good motto for life, but I’m sure you’ll want to commemorate with me the first anniversary of my GBG completion in a couple of days time.
The 8th September 2022 was also a momentous day. My Dad had come out of ITU on the Monday, and following a miraculous recovery was seemingly keen to get shot of me. If I was going to complete the GBG, the time was now.
That day we drove 460 miles, taking a diversion at Grantham I still curse, picked Mrs RM up outside the Blind Monkey, returned a minute later to check the back door was locked, and drove through torrential rain till we reached Abington Services at Biggar.
And that’s where, at 6.38pm, standing outside Burger King, I heard that the Queen had died.
My first thought was “Thank you for you service, ma’am”.
My second thought was “They’re going to close the pubs, aren’t they ?“.
That night in a hotel room in Kingussie, over the hills from Balmoral, was one of the worst of my life.
retiredmartin 
Walking up Conway Road, Pontcanna.
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Sorry, that was 2023
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In 2022 I do remember thinking “I won’t forget where I was just now”
I have though.
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I do remember where I was when the Queen Mum died though. Drinking in a pub in Ballater, just along from Balmoral.
I immediately switched off my mobile phone.
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In the Black Bull, Earlston, Berwickshire. We all hoisted one to her memory.
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Don’t be silly. They might shut up shop on the Northern Isles if the Norwegian monarch died, but I wouldn’t put money on it.
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I was on holiday, with the family and we had just finished our evening meal at the Beefeater, next to the Premier Inn, at Barry Island 🏝️
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Amazingly, I was in downtown Chicago, and had opted to enjoy the Happy Hour(?!) at the Elephant and Castle pub on N. Wabash Ave. Is this another cosmic incident?
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