As a young child I contacted pneumonia. Was like a Victorian child lying on a couch drowning in viruses. My sister told me I reminded her of Beth, the sickly daughter, in 'Little Women'.

My grandfather spent days, while I laid on the couch, teaching me to read to help me recover.

The first 20 years of my life where spent in the USA. I was young, Unsophisticated, and without a vague sense of the world beyond my small city life.

My graduation from high school was the first of many changes in my hair style.

The day I first laid eyes on Nick I was in the university library lost and found looking for my lost glove. I was not there for the literary experience. More for just hanging out. I looked up and our eyes meet.

Believe I was no Audrey Hepburn even though I dreamed about looking like her (and tried every hair style to come closer) He soon became my Cary Grant. For me, my life was about to change. I fell in love with the man I met in the library and, although, it took awhile, he feel in love with me.

In early 1970 we meet David and Penny. They were English, worldly, sophicated and stylish, but, most importantly, they were cool.

I arrived at their house for dinner for the first time looking like a homecoming Queen from Nebraska. As we sat on the floor singing "Here Comes the Sun" along with nina Simone I looked around and realised it was time to leave the small town girl behind.

'There was a new world coming and it's just around the bend' During my first attempt at being cool I ended up with a better afro than Michael Jackson. It received such a great response I decided to go even bigger and better.

The air in my afro deflated as I returned for a visit to the USA and marched to protest the war in Vietnam. It was soon to end with the fall of Saigon. A corsage of flowers enhanced my marching outfit. I did have my peaceful moments.

Our life was going great. A new business and we were working together. Building our almost forever home on glorious acre property. The only thing that didn't work out was my new look. Sprucing myself up with a blonde change that somehow went very wrong, but I was still loved by Nick.

We have lived our lives a lot and been to many places From sea to snow we always laughed, the sun shined on our faces. We traveled many places, 10,000 miles or more. We turned our heads up to the stars, our dreams sailed out from shore. We wished to play the games of life, some others feared its roar, The noise and the trot of the game, stay home and lock the door. Twas not what we wanted, to us our lives meant more. So to hell with convention, we had the universe to explore. The world lies at our feet as long as we don't run for cover. The stars are always on our side if we live for each other. Ah, a Paris cafe.

Where does time go. Usually on our anniversary we would go out for dinner, order a good wine and look into each other's eyes, and say to each other, Geez, you're as beautiful as ever.

On our 40th we decided to celebrate with friends. I had a wonderful time.

Finally I was cool!

It took a while

As I finished my book and my hair is grey I write a poem of my own.

This is not the final stanza or the end of a lifelong song, Sazanne and the Greek are off again, trying to make the journey long.

There is one more story I have to tell, one more book I have to write About two drifters travelling on again and into the morning light.