Absent Friends & Missing Persons

[hmvman]

Also very best wishes to Richard Tarleton and Edgy 2.

[Dave2002]

Ferney & Richard: Agree with Bryn. By all means relinquish your Hostly roles but do continue to post when you can.

Whatever you decide, best wishes to you both.

Best wishes to Richard and Ferney, and I'm very sorry to see you go. I'm echoing the sentiments of Bryn and Petrushka, and several others.

Hope you'll lurk in the background, but whatever you decide, have a good time.

To Richard, thanks for educating me about birds, and sending me occasional photos, or pointing me in the right direction.

To Ferney - 60 is really quite young - so go out and enjoy yourself.

I've thought about leaving myself, but I have found this forum far too valuable, and the people who post here are very civilised, and I consider them to be friends, though in fact I've only ever met one of them.

Again, very best wishes for the future.

Dave

[cloughie]

Some weeks I think that might be a good idea, and then I find so many errors on the (admittedly awesome) Presto website. So I'll be carrying on for now.

...and I hope taking over the not inconsiderable role from Ferney is a smooth journey!

[Nick Armstrong]

Besides being a fountain of knowledge the sheer generosity of your personality has been one of the main joys of this forum. Good luck on your creative endeavors.

Couldn’t put it better myself.

Ferneyhiccough and Richard will be much missed, but their reasons I thoroughly respect.

I find myself posting much less frequently (the busy life of the retired plus the ‘hell in a handcart’ trajectory of much of Radio 3 are two major reasons) but when the time is right, reading and sharing the odd thought or experience remains a pleasure. Alas somewhat less now in the absence of Messrs Geliebte & Tarleton

And bon voyage Edgy

[Sir Velo]

Sometimes one has to make a clean break with the past - like parting from an old flame, or giving up the smokes. Let's respect FHG and RT's decision and wish them well. The forum has "lost" other equally valuable contributors in the past and continues to thrive.

[Bella Kemp]

Your contributions will be much missed FHG and RT but I do hope you will pop back from time to time to have a rummage through this cupboard of amiable curiosities that is the Friends Forum and perhaps make the odd observation now and again.

[Tony Halstead]

Last month marked the 10th Anniversary of my joining the BBC Messageboards. I joined at a time after my partner had spent a year undergoing treatment for Cancer, which was pronounced "sorted" - the relief had an unusual effect on me ... I found that I couldn't read novels for a long time (Eco and then Proust got me back in the habit), and sharing ideas with people on the Messageboards was a great form of therapy.

Tomorrow I hit 60 - or it hits me - a mere Spring Chicken, I know (well, perhaps "Autumn" would be more accurate, but that ruins a joke about "well-sprung" that I was going to make) but an age when a reassessment of one's priorities seems appropriate. As some of you know, my partner died six years ago - and the Forum has been an invaluable source of life for me in that time: you all helped me keep in contact with myself (even - who knows, perhaps especially - those of you who have raised my ire and passionate fury with ideas and opinions directly contradictory to my own). It has been a pleasure and a very real privilege being a Host for the past five years, and to have had the chance to steer the Forum over the past three-and-a-bit years.

But such a prvilege brings with it responsibilities which make great demands on one's time - those phishing posts advertising "Hot Sex" sites don't delete themselves. And, at this age, I need to devote more time - a lot more time - to the activities that are most important to me. I do not wish to face the end of my life (which I don't intend to occur for many decades yet!) having failed to at least attempt the compositions and writing projects that have been tickling the back of my mind for some years now. My partner was always delighted to see me working on my creative projects, and I feel I owe it to her memory as well as to myself, to devote all my spare time on this work.

And so, this is my last post as a member of the Forum. I hand the keys of the Executive Washroom over to my good friend Eine Alpensinfonie, knowing that the future of this wonderful Forum, which has been so important to me this past decade, is in the very best of hands, and I leave knowing that it can only go on to further heights of social, cultural, and educational benefit to its members, to all of whom I wish all the very best of health, wealth, and happiness, and to whom I send my very deepest gratitude for the help you've given me over the years - none more so than when most of you didn't know you were doing this.

Bestio!

All my very best wishes and good luck with your creative projects! Here's a thought: we have too many SYMPHONIES and not enough OPERAS, IMV... how about it?

[Barbirollians]

Has ferretfancy moved on?

Not been on here since April 2019 - a loss to the forum - such a gentleman.

[MickyD]

Only just read about you leaving, ferney - a cause for much regret on my part, too. First BeefOven, then dear doversoul, and now you.

I also hit 60 last year and have never felt so young, thanks to continuing good health after scares in 2014. Make the most of every day, and thanks for all your great posts.

[BBMmk2]

Only just read about you leaving, ferney - a cause for much regret on my part, too. First BeefOven, then dear doversoul, and now you.

I also hit 60 last year and have never felt so young, thanks to continuing good health after scares in 2014. Make the most of every day, and thanks for all your great posts.

Quite so. I’m 63 and I feel the same in my mind, despite all my other frailties. Come on Ferney.....you know you want too.....

[Dave2002]

Quite so. I’m 63 and I feel the same in my mind, despite all my other frailties. Come on Ferney.....you know you want too.....

Looks like I’m older than most of you, then - though I think there are still a few who are ahead of me. I still find things to do, some of which I actually enjoy!

[LezLee]

I'm relatively new on here but I'm sad to see people leaving when I'm just getting to know them and feeling at home here.
My best wishes to those departing.

[BBMmk2]

I'm relatively new on here but I'm sad to see people leaving when I'm just getting to know them and feeling at home here.
My best wishes to those departing.

Especially Ferney!!!

[Serial_Apologist]

Looks like I’m older than most of you, then - though I think there are still a few who are ahead of me. I still find things to do, some of which I actually enjoy!

74 in my case. 74 and a quarter.

[LMcD]

74 in my case. 74 and a quarter.

Any advance on 76.2?