Two Crispy Fivers

Two Crispy Fivers

 

 

I know I said the final blog had been published but last weekend's events on a family visit made me realise there is still more to tell and as April 23rd approaches and the family will gather in the Lake District to  fulfil  Julie's last request as in scatter her ashes it would be rude not to bring you up to speed, plus I have had many of you contact me to express your disappointment at their end so I'll use the time between now and late April time to share some quirky stuff with you about Julie Shute hehe; time to give you a smile about her.. In future blogs I'll also share the impact since the beginning of the year too on myself & the family.

So... The tale of the Two Crispy Fivers...

This is going to start off by sounding arrogant but lol (or should that be hehe?) Julie and I seldom fell out, I wasn't the perfect husband but I don't think many would dispute how much we loved each other and how deep that love was... 

 

Part of the reason we didn't fall out often is I never entered into an argument with Julie 'Unless I knew I was right', she'd smirk at me if I came out with anything and she disputed it for I'd always say "You should know by now I never open my mouth unless I'm right" Sounds arrogant I know but, in the main I'll either stay quiet if I don't know what I'm hearing is right or I'll investigate it myself, There's an old adage that goes something like this "Better to stay silent and look stupid than open your mouth and confirm that you are"... Anyway, Several years ago about four I think I went to a cash machine and withdrew some funds, in with it were two of the crispiest five pound notes I'd ever clapped eyes on. It's rare to see £5 notes these days let alone find them coming out of an ATM. So I showed them Julie, her response was "Don't fold them, put them behind your sun visor" (we were in the car) So like the obedient husband I did as I was told. There they stayed for a couple of weeks, to be honest I'd forgotten all about them, hehe Julie hadn't!

 

After one of our lake District weekends as we drove down into Liverpool we passed an area called Miller's Bridge where Julie's dear friend Collette lived, her garden actually backed on to the Leeds Liverpool Canal. We were Sat at the traffic lights and innocently I commented on a bouncy castle that I was convinced was in Collette's garden or one of her neighbour's. Julie responded "It's not in Collette's street", I'd been to Collette's many times so 'I KNEW' this was in Collette's street and if it wasn't in her garden it was in her neighbour's, by now we are a mile down the road and on telling Julie she was wrong she replied, "I bet you one of your crispy fivers you're wrong"... Ha (yes that's me lol), Ha, no way was I wrong, I checked my rear view mirror slowed down and when clear I spun the car around went back and drove into Collette's street and my heart sunk as I hadn't realised there was a street just yards before Collette's, I stopped the car as she smugly went "HA! Mr I don't open my mouth unless I'm right, a crispy fiver please!" she demanded and held out her hand. I also apologise immediately if I am wrong and today was no exception and I humbly dropped my sun visor and removed one of the two crispy fivers and handed it to her. God she was in hysterics at 'her victory' I can see the smile and laugh now, not unlike the one in this picture of her... She put hers behind her sun visor and said "I'm leaving it there as a reminder to you that you're not always right" and she ribbed me all the way home, then she took great glee in telling people she had won a crispy fiver off me... It was all in good fun and yes every time she got in the car as we drove off she'd lower her sun visor and say "Oh look my crispy fiver", I was never going to live this down. Many a time I challenged her when she came out with something I knew to be wrong by saying "I bet you your crispy fiver", the answer was always "No chance" and she'd giggle at me... Over time she won the second off me too, I cannot remember how but she got them both and she fist punched the air. Anyway guys not bad to only be wrong twice in 4+ years haha.... We changed cars, the fivers were transferred and only recently I removed them from the car, I hadn't forgotten them, Julie always said "After I'm gone I want you to go down to Parkgate and buy yourself ice creams with my two crispy fivers".. Parkgate is a quaint Village on the River Dee Estuary with two home made ice cream parlours where we loved to go get ice creams and walk in the summer. I have been down there and yes I bought ice Cream and sobbed my heart out as I sat in the car and ate it... I'm not spending those crispy fivers though, not now not ever....

 

Many of you never knew 'this Julie'