Longing for “The First of May”, no doubt.

A gentleman is on the 6.15 Victoria to Belmont train (London). He is sat on one of those seats that has people sitting opposite him and a table in-between. He is coming back from a meeting with his old pals from the days when he lived and worked in ‘Town’. He draws his mobile phone from his pocket and goes to his Whatsapp messages – he knew there were some awaiting his attention but until now he has not had a quiet moment… He has been looking forward to the train journey back to John and Barbara’s so that he could enjoy reading the messages in private.

“That’s different,” he thinks as he opens his Whatsapp, “two verbal messages and one text. With a bit of luck she’ll be talking softly.”

He presses the arrow to begin play and music emanates from his phone:

“When you rise in the morning sun, I feel you touch me in the pouring rain…” a woman sings along badly and loudly.

All eyes are upon the gentleman who now feels embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” he looks around apologetically, “it’s my wife in Australia – on the karaoke.”

He begins to turn down the volume on his phone when he is stopped by the lady next to him:

“Oh don’t turn it down, we can hardly hear – please turn it up.”

“Yes, do turn it up,” agreed the man opposite and some people over on the other side of the aisle.

And that is how the passengers on a particular carriage of the 6.15 train to Belmont were thus treated, firstly, to a rendition of “How Deep is Your Love”, which was followed – between Whaddon and West Croyden – by “I Got to Get a Message to You” (it was a Bee Gees’ CD). Apparently, they all loved it and were smiling and tapping their feet. Chris, and his fellow passengers, got the message alright; and in a matter of two days I shall be joining him and our dear friends Barbara and John in Belmont. If you’re on my Qantas flight tomorrow night, don’t worry – I shan’t be singing love songs badly… not unless you ask for an encore.

(If you’re a Bee Gees aficionado you will recognise that “How Deep is Your Love” doesn’t begin with “When you rise in the morning sun..” – at least not in the official lyrics (below) but they were the actual words on the screen! Nevertheless, the new words made a kind of sense as I rose in the morning sun of Australia while Chris was in the pouring rain and cold of England. The photograph of windy Belmont Station at 6.30am and 4 degrees makes the point.)

“How Deep Is Your Love”