During the 1990s and beyond, the Reading Family used to join myself, Mum and Bob for a Christmas Day Dinner at our home in Eskdale Avenue, Chesham

The food was always a bit of a problem with so many different dietary requirements to cater for.

Kev was usually last to arrive as it had been difficult to prize him away from the tv at home. He would walk in with a pocketful of toy cars, sit himself down on the floor in front of the tele with a bowl of crisps, and arrange his cars along side him. His drink of choice was  a Coke.

When it was time to eat, Kev was again last to sit down at the dinner table but whilst the others were munching away on prawn cocktails, Kev's choice of starter was always a plate of warm sausage rolls. Wine was declined in favour of another Coke. After a pause to clear the starters and serve up the mains, Kev would settle for a plate of chicken or turkey and a pile of roast potatoes. Forget the Brussels, peas and parsnips etc, meat and potatoes was all he wanted, and as soon as he was finished, Kev would ask to get down and reclaim his space on the floor infront of the tele.

He wasn't interested in the trifle or Christmas Pud and seemed quite content as long as no one else tried changing the channel.

Kev would stay until the annual exchange of Christmas presents had taken place and then excuse himself. And that was Christmas over and done with for another year.

Peter Saunders