She's a gallant stager, Holly, she'll go on and on, though sadly we have lost Norman. So this canine link goes on through the generations.Sheila's very warm and very funny - that's the main thing about her. She gets people together very well.Something else we have in common is dogs, there's a great canine link here. She has a very firm hand on the tiller, when anything going's on She's a marvellous hostess And that comes with the organising She's a practising catalyst. But when you realise they know what they're talking about, that's just awful.

She tends to take over and start running things, but the really annoying thing is she's good at it That is unforgivable. Somebody who organises and starts sorting things out, that's bad enough. The older you get, the more you sort of boil it down and reduce it, friendship. When you start counting the fingers of one mitten, or whatever the expression is.

People who really are friends are people who you could ring up or throw yourself on the mercy of, or you would be very happy that they did the same to you and you feel quite relaxed about it. There are very few like that, and Sheila's one.I felt relaxed with her from the start and we have a very similar, or identical sense of humour But Sheila is a terrible organiser. It doesn't happen very often; Sheila's a case in point.Our relationship is completely erratic, like a lot of lasting friendships You pick up as if it were yesterday when you meet There's no gap at all, there's no awkwardness or anything It's just seamless. And I knew she'd got it first time I saw her do it.And I fancied her rotten - very sexy and funny, you see, the perfect combination, though I never acted on it, oh gracious no. There's a school of thought that says a woman can't be funny without sacrificing her femininity and all that stuff, which is rubbish.