AN ISLAND CALL..

Late this afternoon, I had a surprise phone call. A very good friend of mine and, like me, an ardent Saints fan (he actually had a trial for the Saints in his youth) rang me from the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland. Not too surprising you might think, until you hear that he hails from the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England.....and the reason for his phone call.

For some years now, he and his partner have been regularly making their almost 600 mile pilgrimage from their home island all the way up to Mull simply because they fell in love with the place. I`ve never been to Scotland, let alone the remote western isles, but I have heard enough about Mull and seen enough photos to know that it is one of the most beautiful, natural, special places in all the British Isles. If I could face the daunting journey, maybe one day I`ll find out for myself.

So, why call me this afternoon if not to gloat about him being there again? Well, it was to let me know that he and his partner had just been married in that very special place for them. I had known for some time that this might happen and I could not be more happy for them, for they are special people themselves and deserve their happiness and contentment.

They took the precaution of taking two friends from the Isle of Wight with them, to act as witnesses being fearful, I imagine, about the sparseness of the population of that remote island. So there were just the four of them, along with the registrar and I can imagine that the small group and the magic of their favourite place produced a more meaningful occasion than ever would have been possible anywhere else. My cynical heart has melted a bit today.