Not sure where this post is going to go but I’ve spent a lot of this week thinking about my brother and the need to capture some of that is distracting me. My mood is actually on a real high at the moment and life is really really good but prompted by the upcoming wedding of Dave’s son George and fiancé Courteney, it was inevitable, and quite fucking right, that Dave should be in my mind.

I’d been talking to Caroline about Dave at the weekend and in a potentially dangerous move for a new relationship I showed her his speech from my wedding to Jackki, so she could hear his voice and see a glimpse of the funny and brilliant person he was. Seeing that video made us both laugh a lot and of course, I shed a few tears, and have been thinking a lot about Dave ever since. I’ve ordered little Bee badges to add to the wedding outfits of anyone who feels the need on the day. As I write I am playing Level 42 on my headphones, pictures of Dave slapping his bass guitar in my mind Like 10 Men. But now I’ve just gone back and read through his FB posts from July 2021 and it has left me just fucking devastated, merrily taking the piss out of life on the 29th July and then all too quiet.

If you’ve followed any of my social media over the last month and/or followed the sports news you will know that City have had an alright sort of season, which is a similar understatement to “a bit poorly” from Dave in July 2021. Football has always prompted an emotional, generally irrational, response and that is what makes it so special, to watch City win the treble this season, especially with a trip to Wembley myself, was incredible but still a little hollow. City is something we shared from my earliest memories and although we’ve both attended plenty matches without each other, the memorable ones were the ones together, usually getting beat, until things changed at Wembley in 2011. I took a scarf from 2011 and the shirt I bought for Dave to wear in hospital in 2021 to Wembley in an attempt to have him there, but I didn’t really need the props to know he was with me.

I really can’t stress enough just how much I am looking forward to the wedding this weekend and to see the rest of my beautiful family all dressed in their finest and celebrating together, just for Dave I will “make an effort” and dress as smartly as I can. As I was choosing suitable cards it struck me for the first time that there is no current “Mr & Mrs Coe” in our family, that honour will go to George and Courteney which is just lovely. In July 1967 there was only one “Mr & Mrs Coe” and that remained the case until 1993 and 1995 by which time there were 3. Somewhere else in the multi-verse perhaps we remained at 3 with George & Courteney becoming the 4th but, we are where we are, and I really look forward to celebrating with the new Mr & Mrs Coe.

And just in case anyone hasn’t noticed, I am head over heels in love with Caroline Naylor and looking forwards with a sense of excitement and joy, prepare to be spammed by some of the happiest photos you’ve ever seen x