It’s a sunny day and so great was yesterday’s trip that I have decided to have yet another Billy day out. Sent a text to Jack wishing him a happy 21st birthday and spoke to him at 8.20 a.m. but he is not compos mentis as yet – he is in Preston. I am heading again to Aigle but today I am off to Champery. The train journey along the Lake from Lausanne to Montreux and beyond never fails to impress, it is truly stunning and always makes you feel just great and not a little fortunate. At 11.00 a.m. I speak to Jack again who is now awake, just! His mother has bought him a new car, his third new car and he is only 21! Becca is taking him on a weekend trip to Barcelona, his grandparents have given him a tankard, Jamie has given him £50 and Kim £100. Back in Dulwich from me, there is a framed England cricket “Ashes” shirt signed by captain Michael Vaughn and star player Freddie Flintoff. I am curiously feeling as if I am too mean with Jack, doubting my common sense approach to not over indulging a lad that doesn’t want for much! I text Gillian (my friend and solicitor) and my best pal Mike Marais and ask the question “Am I being mean”. Gillian says I am absolutely doing the right thing and Mike similarly says look after Jack when he really needs it; I feel assured and much better. I catch a small mountain train, different from yesterday, (AOMC – Aigle, Ollon, Monthey, Champery) from Aigle. The first sight out of Aigle is an Ostrich farm, bizarre; they run around like mad things as the train passes. The train first goes to Monthey, almost a small town, that has sprawling modern apartment blocks on the outskirts that are just awful and are completely out of character with the local surroundings. At Monthey the train reverses direction and heads towards Champery. The track is really steep and the climb spectacular. At Champery there is an immediate connection to a cable car – which is not yet running but will be in a month. I walk up the hill in the direction that the cable car would take and find a delightful restaurant (founded in 1913) and sit outside and have lunch. It is mid November and I am in shirt sleeves outside having lunch, looking at grand mountains coated in light dusts of snow, sipping local wine (Rose) – just fantastic! After lunch I walk through the village which is pretty empty with most places closed waiting for the ski season to start. There are many huge three and four storey chalets dotted on the mountain slopes surrounding the village awaiting holiday guests, the obligatory traditional church with bell tower and a row of pubs and bars, with one that has a sign ‘disco”! I catch the train back down to Monthey and then on to Aigle and finally to Lausanne and home. I speak to Jack again, he is preparing to go out in Preston and get slaughtered with his pals, he is a happy boy. Interestingly he really waxes lyrical about the special hand made card that I had made. The card has the Flaherty coat of arms, contains a specially selected poem, some words from me and as a background, lists lots of special occasions that we have enjoyed together throughout his life. Awesome is Jack’s comment. I hope he keeps the card and looks back upon it with fondness. All in all a very memorable day.   more »