In 1993 Wendy went on exchange to France for a year. She spent the majority of the time in Paris with the Joubert family in the suburbs of Paris.We stayed with her host father, Christian Joubert, for a couple of days in Auxerre.

Christian had two daughters, the younger Claire was the same age as Wendy and today they will catch up after 25 years.

By coincidence the Golden Oldies Rugby was being played in Dublin that year and The Macquarie Uni Rugby club had entered a team. This was too good an opportunity to pass up so I signed up to play and then visit Wendy in Paris.

As fate decides things, by the time of the event Wendy had left Paris and was living with Megan's cousin in the south of France. That was too far out of the way so I decided just to visit the Jouberts for a few days.

I had some trouble getting to their house and by the time I arrived it was in the early hours of the morning. Not being totally convinced I had the right house and rather than wake up some total strangers I curled up on their front doorstep and slept there till morning.

Understandably there was a degree of confusion in the morning when they awoke to find a body on the doorstep. It has been a standing joke since then, so on arriving at Claires , we hid our bikes and I curled up on their doorstep and Wendy rang the doorbell and hid.

The photograph at far left is meant to signify morning (although it is actually sunset from upstairs in Clares house)
The photo on the right is me reproducing that first morning with the Jouberts.