It’s a truism that the Spanish are better at celebrating than the English, but even so, there’s some truth in it. It may have something to do with the climate – ‘grim northerners’ and ‘carefree Latinos’ – but it seems to be more natural for the sun-kissed to enjoy the company of friends and family , to eat and drink for hours in a relaxed ambience, than it is for their more frosty cousins in the north. But there are exceptions to that generalisation. Like it was for us at the weekend.

We have known Philip and Enid since they were students, have lived in the same towns as they for a couple of times, and for a few years Philip whilst still working as a teacher, was a colleague in the team ministry we both belonged to. We were there at their wedding and have been the same at the marriages of three of their four children. We share the same political and social as well as religious beliefs – in other words the four of us are similarly enlightened, or as others might say, prejudiced! They are an amazing family and we have felt privileged to be around at important moments in their life, such as on Saturday.

Their eldest daughter Rachel and her husband, David have been married for 25 years and they had this amazing celebration to mark the event at the weekend. It was held in the enormous stable in what had once been a working farm, in the middle of the countryside. There was champagne to welcome us followed by a lavish seated meal and a band playing for country dancing to which everyone was invited ( I briefly joined on being told it was simple and the last dance, ‘ well done’ one or two people said afterwards, which helped to remind me that I was one of the oldest people present!).

It was this mixture of the generations that made the occasion so special for us. There were only a very few people of our generation amongst the more than a hundred guests, a lot of people in their middle years and as it seemed, masses of children, some of them very young.

Not so many really, but they were enjoying the evening so much, not missing a dance, sometimes having one of their own invention, relishing in the spectacle of grown-ups behaving as if they were children too.

They were still at it when we left and drove through the countryside and home at 23.30. Our abiding memory was of the generous hospitality and good company, but especially for me, of those happy children. The worst thing about ageing is to feel ship-wrecked amongst people of your own age and cut off from younger people. O.K. we have much in common, us older ones, but if left to ourselves, we are in danger of being separated from the richer company to which we all belong.

Bryan