Rubbing Shoulders.

There was a time, when I was about 14/15, that I was left pretty much to myself during the school holidays. Both my parents were busy, and I had to find my own amusement during the daytime.

We were living on the South Coast at the time, so there was always the sea, the pier, and a few cinemas to amuse me.

For my lunch my mother booked me into a funny little restaurant called 'The Spinning Wheel'. It was one of those cottagey places with dark old fashioned tables and wheelback chairs. The decor was mostly brass and copper ornaments. The owner, Michael, was a very pleasant man.

The menu was old fashioned too, but always of a reasonable standard. Brown windsor or Mulligatawny soup, meat with two plain boiled veg' and thick brown gravy, and some stodgy dessert with custard; it was always of this ilk, and all very home-cooked. I seem to remember that the menu cost 4/6d.

But the most interesting thing about The Spinning Wheel was its clientele. The local theatre, The Connaught, often had well known visiting actors, and they would invariably eat there at lunchtime. With my being a regular, and always by myself, Michael would place me at a two-seat table with one of these 'stars'.

I dined with several, some more famous than others, often we ate in silence. But the two I remember the most were Glynis Johns, and Sarah Miles. Ms Johns was a lovely person and very chatty, and Ms Miles was simply beautiful, polite, and wore knee length leather boots; I don't remember much conversation with Sarah.

These names may not mean much to people these days, but both were big stars at the time. The junior-Cro was totally star-struck.

I heard the name Glynis Johns on the radio last night, and it brought it all back. What a lovely bubbly person she was.