Age 10+ to 13- were perhaps the hardest years of my childhood as they were spent at an austere boys' boarding prep school long since closed, in Seaford close to the South Downs. Sharing the pain of those days with me was an 11 year old Irish boy who as divine providence good fortune or chance (you pays your money and takes your choice applies) has it I have been in touch with mainly by the written word right up to the present day - a friendship spanning c.50 years.
As divine providence still has it, this week took me momentarily to Ireland. It was wonderful to go beyond our long lasting and long distance written word friendship dimension and renew the old friendship in 3D. Interesting also to learn that in many ways, our lives after being friends in those tiny years, have not diverged over much. Indeed many common life choices were apparent, one of which is the enjoyment of running/jogging. Running this morning before breakfast on the beaches between Bray and Killiney was delicious.
The shared cauldron of boarding away from home and parents in very early childhood has resulted in many privileges in adulthood which maybe would not have occurred at all without that difficult early start.
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