Should auld acquantaince be forgot?

Friday 19 December 2008, Corby, England
As our visit with Bill & Tange (short for Andreen) wasn't until 2pm we headed off to see Kirby Hall, which was built to inspire a visit by Elizabeth I. It has beautiful gardens which have been restored thanks to the design of the garden being layed out in stone. Half of the Hall has actually turned to ruin, but the other half has been restored, right down to the handmade wallpaper on the walls. Do a google search to find out more info on Kirby Hall, as it is too much to add here.
We then headed back to Corby to finally meet Bill & Tange. Bill was friends with Pete's Dad when he worked in the local Steel Factory, and Tange was friends with Pete's Mum after she moved as a girl to Corby from Kilmarnock in Scotland. Bill & Tange married, as did Pete's Mum and Dad and they all became good friends. We were greeted with open arms, along with wine and beer, and we sat and chatted about Pete's parents. Both have passed from cancer, Pete's Dad in 2002, and his mum 10 years earlier. The time went fast, and Bill & Tange let us know that they had organised a bit of a gathering down the pub. Pete wanted to catch up with his cousin Pauline before going, so we went down the road and met with her and her husband. Very exciting time, as this was the first time Pete had met her. It was a shame that we weren't here for a month. We then headed off to the pub, and were surprised to find Pete's uncle, and 2 of his other cousins, along with one of his Dad's other close friends, and his wife who was close with his Mum. It was a night to remember. This pub, is a pretty old fashioned pub, none of those pokies, or jukeboxes ... in fact, no music at all. So there was just talking, laughing, and lots of beer.
Pete was pretty overwhelmed with excitment and emotion, as you could imagine, it is like connecting with your parents again.
We got home around 1am, and Bill was in fine form to keep up the party and brouht out a bottle of 15yr Balvennie. This is a very nice drop! Did I mention he is a Scot? Well, Tange was singing along to the dancing santa in the corner, Bill was singing some sort of Scottish song that I couldn't understand, Pete is asleep on the couch, and I'm pouring myself another whisky. I helped Pete sleep walk up the stairs and put him to bed. Then Bill insisted that we have more. We kept on, until the whole bottle was gone. Finally we were able to go to bed, and hopefully sleep it all off.