Nerves A Jangling, We Finally, Finally, Finally Meet Our No.1 Fan, Jan The Fan ......

I can't tell you of the raw emotional that thronged The Towers last night as we made our final preparations to meet our No.1 Fan, Jan the Fan in Oxford. We couldn't sleep, we couldn't eat, we couldn't really do anything.  Alice, bless her,  tried her best to soothe us with some camomile and blue cornflower tea, but sadly we were all too wound up to feel any of its calming benefits.

So, after what can only be described as a tempest tossed sleep, all we wanted to do first thing this morning was don our carefully curated outfits and get to the  station, even if we were two and a half hours early!

And then, once on board we found ourselves lost in our own thoughts, of a dream that had been such a long time in the making, thanks to flipping Covid!  Due to staff shortages there wasn't a tea trolley, buffet service to help quelle our burgeoning nerves, perhaps fortuitous in a way, because with all our shaking, we were hardly capable of holding a paper cup (double walled or not) full of steaming hot GWR coffee, so we sucked on Darrell's mint imperials instead. What are we like?

After a journey of about an hour, followed by a short walk from the station across to The Royal Oxford Hotel, there she was, sat sitting, waiting for us in the Olive Branch cafe and restaurant ......... she knew us instantly and we knew her ........

...... it was ....... E    M     O    T    I   O    N   A   L  !  What more can I say?

OMG, there was Jan the Fan, in real life, it wasn't a dream, she really, really really was there, in all her real personage. Let's just say there was very little said in those first five minutes or so, just manly, unabashed and heartfelt sniffs, a little wiping away of tears and a lot of hand holding, cupping of faces and dare I say cuddles. 

Oooooops, here I go again, my apologies, I'm so so sorry, but I'm beginning to fill up anew at the memory of the awe and wonder of that pivotal moment in our lives. I think I had best stop here ......... I promise there'll be more tomorrow, but for now I just need a little time to gather myself, please bare bear with me ...........