‘ His Liverpudlian humour made me laugh so much ’
‘ She has lovely sparkly eyes – I’d like to see her again ’
DATING PAST
I’ve been single for about 18 years and married twice. But I’ve had quite a few gentleman friends since my divorce — and why not?
PRE-DATE NERVES?
No, I’M not a nervous person by any stretch.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
I WAS quite relieved when I first set eyes on ray. I knew that he was 85, so I wasn’t sure what he’d look like. you could tell he was a good-looking man when he was younger, but even now he is nice to look at.
In fact, he looks a lot younger than his age. he was nicely dressed, smart and clean.
EASY TO TALK TO?
the two hours we had together flew by and I never stopped laughing. he is from Liverpool and I love the Liverpudlian sense of humour.
he’d start off telling a story and you had no idea it was a joke until he got to the end — I was laughing so hard.
I’ve been on dates in the past where the men are so serious, but this was wonderful fun. even the ladies sitting at the next table joined in.
We had things in common, such as the holidays we enjoy. We even worked out we may have met in the late 1950s or early 1960s when I was a teenager working in a coffee bar in central London that ray used to visit.
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?
NONE at all.
DID SPARKS FLY?
that’S a hard one to answer. It’s not like when you’re young and suddenly it hits you like a thunderbolt. When you’re older, you have to get to know someone before you can tell if you like them.
SEE HIM AGAIN?
I WOULD certainly like to see him again.
ray and I have exchanged phone numbers and have spoken and texted a few times since our date. So I’m sure we’ll meet up again when he gets back from holiday.
the only catch is that he lives an hour away. But as I drive this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE THOUGHT OF YOU?
he SEEMED to be having a good time, so I very much hope that he liked me.
WOULD YOUR FAMILY LIKE HIM?
OH YES, I think that my son and ray would make each other laugh.
DATING PAST
I’ve been single for eight years since my wife died.
I’ve been on quite a few blind dates and introductions through friends but, unfortunately, none of them were particularly compatible with me.
PRE-DATE NERVES?
No, Not at all. I wasn’t nervous — just excited.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
WHEN I walked in, Jennifer was already there.
I knew she was 80, but she didn’t look it at all. I can see that she must have been a very, very attractive woman when she was younger because she is still very attractive now.
I noticed she had lovely sparkly eyes and she had beautiful teeth when she smiled. My teeth are like stars — they come out at night.
EASY TO TALK TO?
very. I’m a Scouser and Scousers like to tell a lot of jokes (I even get on my own nerves occasionally), but Jennifer seemed to laugh a lot.
We had so much to talk about. She likes jazz and I’m a jazz drummer; she likes walking, animals and holidays, particularly cruises, which I also enjoy.
I might even have been into one of the coffee bars where she used to work when she was younger.
She was a lovely lady and we really didn’t come up for air for a good two hours. We even got chatting to the ladies sitting at the next table and the four of us had a laugh together.
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?
NONE at all.
DID SPARKS FLY?
I FOUND her very attractive, but I think we’d have more of a companionship than a romance.
SEE HER AGAIN?
I’d very much like to see her again. I’d like to spend more time with her because we had such a laugh together.
WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE THOUGHT OF YOU?
It WAS Jennifer’s first ever blind date and I think she found me funny. She laughed a lot and she made me laugh, too, so I hope that she had a good time.
WOULD YOUR FAMILY LIKE HER?
YES, I think they would and they would be delighted to meet her.
Interviews: JILL FOSTER