Goodbye Goodbye ( Peter Cook and Dud )

What a lousy year 2007 was ! 7 is no longer my lucky number.
Not only did it piss down for most of the year , but there was
notable casualties. Clearly as one gets older the casualties seem
to get closer and more poignant. Alan Coren died ! One of the funniest
comedy writers ever...up there with P.G.Wodehouse, S.J.Perelman,
and Benchley. I cant tell you how much laughing pleasure the man gave
me . Norman Mahler died ! One of the most moving things I have listened
to was a story told by Mahler about being at a Esquire magazine party with
Ali. Kurt Vonnegut died ! An amazingly innovative writer. The most pissed
President died......good old Boris. And the lovely jolly man that was George
Melly passed away. Very sad.
Not one of them was a golfer as far as I know....but no matter.
However Lord Deedes tried to be a golfer...and failed but he always enjoyed
the walk. On every occasion I caddied for him he would insist that I said
"Hello" to the magpies and of course I did ..rather self-consciously it has
to be said. But I obeyed his Lordship. He was a great man and it was an honour to
caddy for him.....not because he was a Lord.....but because he was a great human
being. He will be sorely missed.