I love moustaches.  It’s a throwback to when I first discovered Los Hermanos Cubanos in 2004 on a small beach in Ibiza.  But, thinking about it Magnum PI may well have my first inspiration. 

The other night walking along Rathbone Place in London town with an ex colleague we passed by No. 26 – the lights were still on and we could see R and Mr Tapped and Packed (T&P) sitting having a chat. I knocked on the door.  R came and opened it to the smell of something delicious baking in the oven.  We hugged.  ‘You’re here so late, what’s going on?’ I asked.  In his delightful Dublin accent R explained: ‘We’re celebratin’ Movember tomorrow – hangin’ up these photos that we took for it’.  I looked around – sure enough there were photos everywhere of some of my No. 26 chums sporting a variety of little bushy numbers.  ‘Wow, I’ve really missed you all’ I said. 

We looked at V’s other photos on the wall.  ‘Look at this one!’ my friend J exclaimed.  ‘It looks like her knickers are sprayed on – innit?!’  We laughed. 

‘So, what’s the deal tomorrow R?’ ‘Well we sell coffees as usual but all the proceeds go to charity – prostate cancer – cancer basically’.  ‘That’s brilliant!’ I said to Mr T & P.  He barely smiled, the weight of running a massively popular business and figuring out his next move, on his shoulders.  ‘Yeah’ he said as he turned to run down the stairs.  ‘I’ve gotta go – I’ve got a cake in the oven’.

We said our goodbyes and R said I must pop in on Movember day.  I told him I’d try, but I knew it would be unlikely.  My new city home is a world away from No. 26 but my heart’s still there and my imagination would have to suffice.