Summerabbacat

I doubt Rob will let Tyler get away with anything, and I think he will be a good role model and support for him, certainly one far better than his homophobic loser father. Eric has never pissed me off before, but he did big time in this chapter. His refusal to accept the money raised was rude and selfish. Tommy Standish, who barely knows him, set this all up to assist Eric and Eric refuses outright. Rude much. He needs to stop behaving like a prima donna and get over himself. As Andy pointed out to him, many people have parted with their hard earned cash to support him. For once in his life he needs to put aside his pride, stop his grumbling and be gracious. His usual excuses have worn thin with me. Andy has got his work cut out, but I do think he will be able to convince Eric to accept it.

Desperate times and situations call for desperate measures. Graham's desperation to steer Vince "in the right direction" has become even more desperate given Peter's statement he is looking for a new job. Personally, I think Graham's idea to invite Peter around to cook dinner for Vince, whilst not at all romantic, is brilliant as Vince is definitely a homebody. He will get to see what could be, if he would just allow himself to step outside the illusion of perfection he has created and accept that reality could be so much better with a little courage on his part. If Peter becomes part of Vince's life, which will likely delight Freddie, they could become the "perfect family" if Moggie decides to move indoors full-time. I have no doubt Vince will be furious, at least initially, but that fury may turn into something quite different by the end of the evening. And what of the delightful Matt? Perhaps Vince will return the "favour" and do a little match-making of his own. He seemed to get along very with Matt when they met and commented so to Graham. Perhaps an invitation to Matt to visit Philpott Towers may be extended by Vince, an invitation where Vince and Freddie will be conveniently absent. For some reason the word lovely grates on me and have baulked at using it to ever describe your work @Robert Hugill, but on this occasion it suits perfectly. No Kate Bush "inspirations", but a Spandau Ballet inspiration early in the piece. One of the earliest hits from the "New Romantics" era, a song I don't think they ever topped. And their outfits, hilarious.

What a brilliant question @ReaderPaul. If it does, then consumption by hungry animals would help reduce the spread of disease.

Emily and Nigel Standish should be very proud of themselves as should their son Tommy Standish. Emily and Nigel have obviously instilled in Tommy a sense of caring for those less fortunate than he, and Tommy has in turn moved swiftly to demonstrate what his parents have taught him. I also believe Emily is correct in that Tommy should be very transparent about how much is raised and donated to Eric. Eric will be overwhelmed, hopefully he will accept the money raised in a gracious manner, although this may be a little too much to expect. He will undoubtedly be moved and pleased, but I am sure there will have to be a little grumbling on his part. "Surely at least one of those would be for a takeaway of some kind? He found a gaudy sheet promising swift deliveries of pizza. Equipped with reading glasses, Eric sat at the desk and studied the options. Writing down his choices, he picked up the phone, dialled, and took a deep breath." Another huge step forward for Eric.

The only thing I can see improving life for Tyler would be removal from his mother's "care". She has undoubtedly had a hard life, but to Tyler at least she is a lousy mother. And his affection and respect for his father is completely misguided. The man is a homophobe who beats him and is a total loser. Eric's sense of humour is quite surprising at times: “And the jungle of a garden. That reminds me–” Eric lodged the phone in the gap between shoulder and ear while he scrabbled around, trying to find the woman's details. He remembered the notebook. “Hold on a second.” Putting the receiver down, he went in search. He settled down again. “I recommended you.” One finger flicked through the notebook's pages. To her? “Yes.” The search continued. As a garden consultant? Wow. Suppose there's a first time for everything. Mock surprise made Eric's lip curl. “Don't jump the gun. I could've mentioned your usefulness as a window cleaner.” Emily's "what the heck", such a polite way of saying 'what the fuck", which is what a potty mouth like me would have said. Another excellent chapter @northie. Tyler's attack on Eric infuriated me, but it was really aimed at his mother. Vicky Pollard sprung to mind listening to his mother's rant.

"Oliver, as head of the household, would examine every detail of her Saturday morning shopping trip on her return. The chances of tripping up in her account would be vastly increased if she were late. She picked at a thumb cuticle." Has Felicity tolerated this behaviour from Oliver from the very start of their marriage? Has he always been this controlling? I would hesitate a guess and say yes, adding that the physical abuse has likely only started since Adam and his sister left home. I have to wonder if the violence has increased as a result of Adam coming out as gay as clearly this is a threat to Oliver's masculinity. He probably blames Felicity for having "babied him" or some such other nonsense. I believe Emily will be a good friend to Felicity, particularly if she learns of Oliver's behaviour. Emily strikes me as being pragmatic and determined. I cannot imagine she will stand by and do nothing, and it may be easier for Felicity to take advice from an outsider than her own son, after all Oliver is his father no matter how much Adam may despise him. Emily proved herself to be a kindly neighbour to Eric too, charming him with her genuineness, and without being intrusive like Deborah Turner (and she does not have the dreaded Bella yapping beside her either). Her care will likely be needed at some point in time, and she is much closer by than Andy and Adam. Book 3 is proving to be the equal of 1 and 2 @northie. A trilogy of top notch writing.

I also believe Marie-Louise is scared and too proud to admit it. This does not however, make her any less obnoxious. George is proving to be very resourceful with sensible plans for the day(s) ahead. He sounds the right man for the top job NOW @Lee Wilson. Lionel is the one for whom I feel the greatest sorrow. If George was not with him he would have no idea what to do and would likely die sooner rather than later. Given his shortness of breath I have to wonder if the gas produced has killed all his cancer cells yet or if it is still "active" and doing so.

I don't think I have ever encountered anyone allergic to cheese in my life. Your experience reminds me of a man I used to work with before he retired 11 years ago. He came to Australia from Birmingham in 1973 as a 13 year old with two brothers, a mother and a father who had been in the navy. He ended up as an adult marrying the only child of a an Italian couple. She, his wife, was a few years older than him. Both were what one would classify as "fuller figured", but they had such a wonderful relationship. The point of my posting is that she loved Italian food and was very good at cooking it. He hated garlic and tomatoes.

Wow! That is profound @Paladin. I also believe Bayview is going to play a significant role in the reunification of Tony and Aaron, once the "wall of Berlin" has collapsed. I am intrigued by the fact the house appears to be vacant. Was it purchased and renovated by someone who passed away before taking up residence, or by a couple who have since become embroiled in an ugly and messy divorce, or by someone who defaulted on the mortgage and the bank foreclosed? The latter seems unlikely otherwise it would be listed for sale, although given its secluded location and likely value, a bank may not want to invite undesirable attention by having a for sale sign at the front of the property. It appears to have piqued Tony's interest sufficiently though for him to make enquiries, or perhaps he will ask Harry to make some discreet enquiries on his behalf. I agree with all my fellow readers who commented on the ingenuity of Scott and Matt's plan to at least get Tony and Aaron talking again. The initial signs are good with Tony noting the corners of Aaron's mouth turning up into a smile, the playful banter between the two, and Tony's final admission. A delightful chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Financial wealth alludes you, but I imagine you are wealthy in other ways (howzat for one of those really annoying platitudes idiots make to try and console you?).

He is a "straight" man "trapped" in a gay man's body and enjoying every moment of it @VBlew. Jordan's e-mail to Calvin left little doubt in my mind that he would like to be more than friends with Calvin. How this will unfold, only @KKirk knows. An intriguing chapter @KKirk, particularly Calvin's observation that his father and Alan were trying to out charm each other.

Throughout the reading of this chapter I kept hearing Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles playing on loop in my head. I don't know if you remember it @northie. It was a # 1 hit in the UK at the end of 1979 and even bigger here in Australia, a #1 hit for 7 weeks at the end of the 1979 beginning of 1980. The derogatory letters sent to Eric and similar comments made online when Andy and Adam announced their engagement were to be expected. Some people, motived by whatever moral compass they are guided by, believe it is their right to know and police what other people do in the privacy of their own home. Emily Standish has already shown what a good neighbour she is going to be for Eric. Her concern was for his welfare not his sexuality, when she thought the hooligans may have harmed him.

And if you had called him "Donkey" @Paladin the smutty remarks would almost certainly have resulted. Clearly he is not betting on "donkeys" either.

You are quick off the starting block. When you rated my comment I realised I had missed inserting the very vital word not into it. I have since corrected this.

I just hope their "network" has not extended itself as far south as Thompsonville. Best you get Patrick and Nicola to investigate this @Paladin, particularly given what we know about some of the Thompson family.

"Farmer Jack", an expert of "The Jack" meets up with Walter again and not only jacks, but docks, Walter. Father Andrzej has done a good deed with his seed, he has opened Walter's eyes to the beauty of and possibility that M/M sex is anything but sinful.

Eric is back and his put down of Briony Walker was the highlight of the chapter. She babbled on and on and on, such that Eric could not get a word in edgeways, although he would not likely have said much anyway. In fact, his put down is about the longest contribution to a conversation I can ever remember him giving. It was interesting that Eric has already observed the garden of the house the Standish's have purchased as "bushes and plants left to run riot". Now that sounds like an ideal project for Andy Harper, with Eric Whitehouse perhaps consulting. It was also interesting that Eric is even more aware of his prejudice against those with money or whom he perceives have money. The pre-Andy Eric was aware of this, but seemingly did not nought to address it. He is now doing so, having immediately forced himself to be more pleasant and engaging with Emily Standish. The boys are back in town.

Too much burrata with caramelised fennel perhaps? Or maybe a tart made with a mixture of the petals from some of her husband's specialty geraniums, organic plums and organic unpasteurised goat's milk. I forgot to mention I displayed my ignorance @Gary L as I had never heard of burrata before. I don't believe I have ever seen it in either the supermarket (although it is apparently available) or any delicatessen. Cheese is the only non-vegan food I eat; not sure if I could eat this with the clotted cream. I looked at a few recipes containing it though, with this one very appealing to my taste buds: Bursty Tomato Burrata Salad Juicy roasted cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese, dollops of pesto, swish of olive oil and crusty bread Once again @Gary L, Robert has demonstrated that a visit to the Hugillverse will not only entertain you, but more often than not will educate you too. We both learnt something in this chapter.

I was being somewhat facetious @Bft.

I wouldn't bother telling Keith @VBlew as he has made it clear he despises his father and wants nothing to do with him. Alex is a different story of course because he will have Jonah as his father's partner and Jonah as his boxing trainer. I very rarely drink coffee (once in a blue moon) and know next to nothing about it (except I like it black with no sugar), therefore I found the "wine like" descriptions of coffee ridiculously pretentious and very amusing. A very encouraging chapter @ChromedOutCortex, with the relationship between James and Jonah moving in a positive direction.

No apology necessary @Paladin as it was very easy to refresh my memory as to who he was. No suggestion, yet? I am very intrigued now, I shall have to put my "speculation cap" on.

The search for Daniel has commenced; I do hope it proves successful and soon. If so, Daniel may be able to add further to the evidence Joshua has already provided about their Uncle. It was not surprising to learn the underage porn video production he is involved in is bigger than Joshua was aware of. If Horse is involved in money laundering in the racing industry it would not surprise me if he is involved in doping horses too. If this is the case @Paladin I expect him to be gelded before the conclusion of this story. I am also still wondering if Joshua's parents died in a car accident as Daniel and Joshua were informed. With Adam already deceased and their older sister overseas, the death of Joshua's parents appears awfully convenient to their Uncle. Two underage boys, Daniel and Joshua, would have been very tempting for Uncle's police connections to arrange for the death of Joshua's parents. I could not remember who Frank was @Paladin. Luckily he appeared in the final chapter of Part 1 so I did not have to search far. The fact there is now a NSW connection with Byron Bay, and possibly some information Frank has become privy to, means this could be a joint NSW/QLD sting I assume. Riveting stuff @Paladin

The perfect companion to its predecessor, this second instalment in the lives of Eric, Andy, Adam and any number of supporting characters, continues Eric's journey from friendless retired curmudgeon to a life he never dared dream of. The growth of Eric's character is matched by the growth of Andy's character too, each enriching the other's life in ways they could not have predicted when they first met. Another 5 star experience from the pen of @northie.

Organised religion = organised oppression and aggression in many instances. Eric Whitehouse, champion for the underdog or target for hooligans? I do hope its more the former than the latter.

"Eric was clearing away the mugs. “You'd want me there?” He grimaced. “I'm hardly going to be an adornment to your special day.” Andy gave him a gentle, side-on hug. “Adam and I dearly wish you to be there. You are so much more than any client; our lives wouldn't be complete without your presence.” In many ways Andy has come just as far as Eric since their first fateful meeting. Could he possibly have said anything more meaningful and uplifting to Eric? I think not. If Oliver is invited to the wedding and attends I shudder to think what he might say of or to Eric. I will be very surprised if he is not a rabid conservative in all aspects and will look down on Eric because of his status in life. Hopefully his presence at the wedding will not be possible, for one reason or another. The end is nigh for this book @northie, but I have the "consolation" of being able to move straight onto its successor. Life is sweet sometimes.

What to make of Marie-Louise. She is loud, brash and 16; quite possibly driven by her hormones as much as anything else. I doubt she will get any sexual healing from 9 year old Lionel or 13 year old George. Perhaps whilst driving around she should be looking for an 'Adult Shop' to break and enter. I am reserving my judgment on her for the moment (totally unlike me @Lee Wilson), but first impressions are she is not to be trusted.