Retiring?

LL

I hear you had  a weekend without soccer. Hope you enjoyed it. What are you going to do when you retire? Move, buy that 'little place' in Spain that was promised 11 years ago, or just carry on as now until you pass on?

I often wonder what you will do. But that's all. As you are fully aware, or should be by now, my life from an age younger than you are now has been one of interest, fun and dare I say it luxury. Never in a thousand years thought I'd get 'here' though. Comfortable yes, but extremely wealthy, no. I didn't expect that and from fairly modest beginnings too.

I know you realize you made a big, big mistake back in 2004/2005. Partly why I write these blogs, to rub the fact in. No malice just a sweet sense of satisfaction...and I've had plenty of that, if you know what I mean!

Someone sent me a recent photo of your man. How you tolerate a body like that beats me. Round as he is high. Some of your 'activities' must be very interesting. I must remember to include a photo of a far fitter guy.

In Miami for a couple of days, not worth driving back along Alligator Alley. Am here for a TV program. I'll leave you to figure whether it's about cooking, my books or business. Any which way, it beats all that talk of soccer that you have to suffer.

Spent most of the weekend and Monday on Sanibel/Captiva and the boat. Not a bad life. January here is cool, relatively speaking,. In the 60's and 70's F.

By the way, I thought I should clarify something from way back regarding a court appearance. It never happened. It may appear to have done, but it didn't and there's no record. I'll leave you to figure out why - a clue, think back to one of my previous careers.

I am sure you look at what I tell you about my life since 2006 and wonder if it's really true. Don't wonder - it is. I tested you every way I could and you failed miserably on each and every count. So, I knew I had to move on in 2004 (not 2005) following your first episode of 'playing away', although I gave you quite a few further opportunities until March/April of 05. Another revelation derived from your shoddy attempt to cover your tracks, and I knew I was wasting my time.

That was when I decided once and for all to make a life of my own, without you. Not you doing the opposite. The rest of the time I was playing you like a fiddle....and you thought you had hoodwinked me. How I laughed.

I'm a fair to good 'actor', so I knew how to convince you I was heartbroken. You swallowed it hook, line and sinker.

You thought I would leave you 'high and dry' if you came back. Well baby, you'll never know.

That left you where you are now and where you were then. Nothing has changed much for you has it. Ten years of what you have been doing since the first day you met him...and you once said I was boring!

Too late you learned I am far from that and too late you learned how secure you could have once been. That, as you know, was a test too. I will take no women into my life because I happen to be wealthy, hence I kept that from you. Luckily I met a person to whom wealth didn't matter - she had her own - and that person is my wife of nearly ten years.

Birthday soon - not that young these days are you....photos show it quite well.

Ciao

An Obsessive

One of the things that I can't quite reconcile with your partner and what I know of your own personality, LL, is how you live with his obsession for 'all things' soccer, to purloin a phrase.

The other is his size!

++++++++++

I have spent a pleasant few days here in London, but will be flying back home to Ash on Tuesday, whoops, now Wednesday. Couldn't get a slot for our aircraft to fly out a.m. Tuesday.

Trip was mainly business and to check out our European HQ and fire up the guys and girls for the new year.

Ash's parents are ailing now, being in their 80's, so it seems I am now the 'patriarch' of the family and businesses. As it is, I am semi retired, but Brad, Jon and Steve take a good deal of the load along with Charlie (Charlotte), here in London, and the main board of course.

But it's not all business here, naturally. Trish (Patricia) came up from Bristol and we went to dinner Friday and again on Saturday, preceded by drinks at the Shard - see photos below. She separated from Chris a couple of years ago. You will recall her as being the lady that, back in 2005/2006, wanted to marry me. Unfortunately for her, I had met Ash by the time she decided I was the guy for her.

However, before that I used to drive down to see her over quite a few months back then.

So she has spent the last few nights here in Knightsbridge at my home, and we enjoyed London ...a cold London...but always a pleasure. She went back to Bristol on Sunday evening.

Most of the photos were taken through dirty glass and on a day full of haze.

Bend in the Thames

Walkie Talkie Building with the Gherkin to the right
NatWest tower to the left

London Bridge Railroad Station

Tower Bridge

Cocktails for Two.

...and for One

...and One other

...and Three...Two Ladies (Trish and Charlie) and a Real Gent

Proof Glimpse

Oxford Circus - Preps for Light Festival

Dusk

All lit up

It seems you may have problems. At least that is what I am told. Sorry to hear that. Life could have been so much easier for you.

You were foolish in the extreme back in 2004/2005. I gave you enough chances, but you either couldn't make your mind up or, as I know, opted for short term 'pleasures'. Never had any patience did you. You should have invested in the long term. It is pretty damn good! In fact it's wonderful complimented by a great family all round...all four generations.

Some people pick the easy low growing fruit, others persist and reach for the best stuff, higher up. Then there are those that can only pick the windfalls and rotten fruit. Which are you? Certainly not the second.

Don't think you have seen Ben in a while, so here are some photos of him enjoying snow in New Hampshire. May be Florida born, but he loved it.

Back to NH tomorrow a.m. and then on down to Florida via New York.

As I say - a great life! How's yours? Wish you had acted differently? I bet you do!

Oh. By the way, the next blog from that author is apparently entitled Carole.....



Ciao

Silence Unbroken

LL


You are notable by your absence. Problems at home? Need a shoulder to cry on? I will be in London, UK, tomorrow p.m.

We've been enjoying Nantucket (new home) and Cas's hospitality over Christmas and the New Year, but are now getting down and dirty in New Hampshire....in a ranching sense...horses, that is. However, business calls in London, so I will be there tomorrow for a few days before returning here.

How is life with the dwarf or is it over now? I always thought you sought stability in your life with 'a man who was in control but not controlling'. You are still searching aren't you because you haven't found what you truly want. Ten years ago you always said 'I don't know what I want'. That indecision has cost you precious years.

The very same indecisiveness that caused you to dither in 2006. You lost the best bet in life you had ever had then. Wealth, security and most of all unconditional love. I have moved on greatly since then but I know that you haven't. I find that more than a little sad.

You said I was lucky. It was never that. It was determination and decisiveness mixed with shrewdness and acumen that has resulted in what you might term my good fortune. I am very happy in life, but I am not sure you are.

I sometimes think back to some of the things we did together. That long morning spent in bed in Denia, Sandringham, Sorrento, a visit to your friend in Essex, fooling around in the pool in Florida, staying at my brother's. They were happier memories. But then there was the discovery of your infidelity, your coldness when you thought you were leaving me (I had already moved on in a manner of speaking). So, I also remember you callousness, coldness, immorality - not only sexually but with the bangles - and your gloating about the new man in your life.

I had to laugh, though, and I have laughed a lot since. From when a friend forwarded me photos, right up until the present day (still get the occasional photo, incidentally). I laugh at your choice, the vacations you take, that tiny villa you book each trip and the mundane life you lead weekdays and, repetitively, at weekends. If you hadn't been so very foolish it all could have been very different.

Enough for now this was by of a little catch up and a reminder of what you lost due to your own actions. We will be in the same country for a few days if you are not traveling somewhere.

Ciao

A New Year

 Bang!

Thought I would start the New Year with a bang. Did you jump in the opening scenes of your recent theater visit? We saw it three years ago, and my other half sure did. Great show wasn't it, assuming you saw a similar version to the one saw

I guess you have read the blogs that I post from a certain author, detailing his life of 'fun' a few years ago. If not here's a link to the latest one which will give you access to the others:

http://pleasureforboth.blogspot.com/2016/01/heather.html


We flew up to Boston for New Year and spent it with Cas and Liz and their family, drinking, although not greatly, into the wee small hours. After all these festivities we decided to blow the cobwebs away, so here we are in our Nantucket home looking out on a wild and woolly ocean. You will recall we bought this place last year.

Next stop is the ranch in New Hampshire. Snow and horses call. Here's a snap of part of our woodland. I spend a lot of time here riding and just wandering. With the mountains as a backdrop, it's like my own piece of heaven on Earth. Coming from where you do LL you would probably appreciate it, although the mountains are a darn sight higher than those to the south of you.

From there we are heading West, for some Californian sun in San Diego etc. After all it's a whole month since we returned from Australia. Which brings me to a small gallery of photos in case your view of my credibility needs reinforcing.

First some wildlife. The croc is a saltwater one.

Now some scenes local to where we have a home. Some are mundane but prove my point ;-)

So there you are LL. Just a few shots from many that I took. Before California, I will be making a quick trip to London, after all we have quite an operation in Europe and I need to touch base with our European HQ. All a long way from when you knew me, isn't it.

Talking of which, how is 'Estrella' and her tiny pool. Private it may be, but the surroundings and views are not what you saw with me or could now experience. Our pool at home is divided into 3 interlocking rectangles one with an infinity edge which makes it appear to be part of the sea and about 10 times larger than your haunt in the islands.

I'd forgotten how short he was until someone sent me a photo recently. He really is shorter and fatter than I recall from 2005/6. Mr and Mrs Mundane aren't you, with those repetitive weekends of eating and drinking and frequenting the same old haunts. Yes, I have said it all before, but when all is said and done, you backed the wrong horse didn't you. I will never understand why you chose who you did against what you already had and let slip thru your fingers

This is where I am, living in luxury, with a beautiful wife and a very loving woman by my side. Not bad for what you thought was your cast off guy. You had regrets, I know. You knew you had made a mistake in the early part of 2006.

Then you went through envy - my coming over here to the States to live, first in New Hampshire and then elsewhere, in addition. You thought I was 'lucky' as you put it. Luck had nothing to do with it, but determination did.

Next it was jealousy. One instance in particular sticks in my mind and that is when you saw photos of a tall, pretty brunette at my then home - the same place you had once frequented. You were real jealous of her and especially seeing her bikini clad on my patio. There were a lot more photos than that one - not all sporting a bikini. (I will be posting on behalf of another author an account of time with her, in due course).

Your next stage was to go through a derogatory phase, criticizing her. You are lucky I never passed on your comments given her occupation.

At one stage you relented a little and, when I suggested we get together again, you questioned whether we would have enough to live on. I revealed what I wanted to reveal, as a test of your supposed affection for me. You failed and, in doing so, passed up on a very secure and comfortable life.

So there's your wisdom and judgement, whereas mine has taken me much, much further. I was only married once before and very happily. You well.....enough said. I heard you blaming the other men in your life for what had befallen you, when in fact it was largely your poor judgement.

On a more sympathetic note. I have read and seen over here, the news regarding the floods that have affected the Northern UK. I hope that you haven't experienced a repeat of our previous time in that situation, especially your elderly dad..

I guess that's enough for the beginning of this year. Apart from my London visit we are looking forward to Southern California, then back to Florida for one of the best times of year there, before our summer travels come around again.

Da un uomo 'fortunato' ad una signora stupido.

Ciao baby!