The “Increasing Level Heads” met again on a chilly May morning at the Hand in Hand. “Increasing ” because the usual mob were joined by Bob Macdonagh and Rick Weston. Gavin Taylor was away playing croquet for Surrey. Mike Bird limped in with sore feet from his charity walk. John Simmonds was fresh off a Speed Awareness Course imposed after an alarming 25mph along Parkside. Peter Lee has just become a British National Pairs Bridge champion for the seventh time and at 83 is still ranked in chess and bridge. By comparison, Mike Barnett and Jerry Stockbridge could only report having eaten daily since the last reunion, not always at their own expense.

This August body reviewed the last reunion and such feedback as there was, and decided to go ahead with the plan to have another one this year on the date already suggested, Friday 11 September 2026. All agreed the Hand in Hand would be a good venue but with a slightly re-arranged layout to allow more mixing and chat during the lunch.

After consuming a range of meals from the healthy to the downright life affecting, we went our separate ways vowing to do it all again before too long.