SEVEN….TWO….FIVE….EIGHT-----

If ever you rang Margaret, this would be the familiar response from the other end of the line – without exception!  I must have heard this standard 7258 response hundreds of times since I left the UK exactly 40 years ago to live and work in Germany and following relocation to Austria 12 years ago to make the most of retirement.

Regardless of whether I called Margaret or she rang me, we would always manage to sort out the world’s problems between us within about 10 or 15 minutes:  first and foremost we would discuss our beloved “Bees“, followed by the unsporting antics of Michael Schuhmacher and Sebastian Vettel in stopping “our“ valiant Brit boys from becoming Formula One World Champions!  Snooker also featured prominently, as did politics, from Maggie to TM and JC, from Helmut Kohl to Angela Merkel, and of course the EU and Brexit (but the less said there, the better!).

Over all those years I only once heard Margaret complaining bitterly:  apparently when David left home he also left behind hundreds and hundreds of pairs of trainers and sneakers “cluttering up the place“.

One episode not related to phone calls happened a few years ago when I received a birthday card from Margaret which arrived bang on time on the 20th – of August.  I had to gently break the news to her that, at least up until that year, my birthday had always been celebrated in September.  We both fell apart laughing!

So, my dear Cousin Margaret, sadly no more 7258’s, but you will be fondly remembered for your warmth and kindness, your infectious and occasionally downright wicked humour, and your generous hospitality.

Jim Ware