When exactly I first subscribed to the Guardian Weekly is lost in the mists of time – probably a few years after I left the UK for France in 1973. I have always thought of the GW as a sort of lifeline connecting me as I am now with me as I was then. And I have followed the editorial changes over the years. My GWs travel well too – such a handy format on a plane and no weight at all.
I regularly use articles in my job as an English teacher and am a hoarder of past issues just in case I missed a good one. I only reluctantly got rid of some when my visiting mother woke up every morning to the sight of about 20 years’ worth of them stacked on the shelves and wondered if I shouldn’t be lightening my load.
Perhaps the greatest joy comes from the Notes & Queries page. Not so much the questions or the answers, but the contributors who have become friends of a unique sort. Ursula in Australia, Alan in Madrid, Joan in Nova Scotia ... I don’t know you, I can’t put a face to your name, but I feel I have a special link with you. And I have had unexpected surprises like coming across a long-lost school friend’s contribution from the Solomon Islands.
Who needs Facebook or Twitter when you have the Weekly to keep in touch?
My next step? Dreaming up a quirky question or penning the perfect answer.
If you would like to appear in this space, send a brief note to guardian.weekly@theguardian.com
